Police say they are examining "all possibilities" after the discovery of nine bodies in the Ekurhuleni area near Johannesburg, as local women voice fears the deaths could be linked.
Nine women killed in the same area in recent weeks has reignited alarm over South Africa's endemic violence against women.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella made the remarks during a visit to a hospital unit for women victims of violence in Tuscany, according to ANSA.
A ninth woman's body has been discovered in the Ekurhuleni region east of Johannesburg amid escalating killings.