The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed the deaths of three missing police constables -Keamogetswe Buys (30), Boipelo Senoge (20), and Cebekhulu Linda (24) – whose bodies were discovered in the Hennops River in Centurion near the N1 highway on Monday and Tuesday.
National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, addressed the media at the scene, confirming that the constables, who went missing on Wednesday, 23 April, have been identified, along with two additional bodies, one being an admin clerk from Lyttleton Police Station.
The officers were off duty, travelling from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo in a white VW Polo sedan, which remains unaccounted for.
Bodies were found
A high-level multi-agency search effort involving SAPS units, the HAWKS, cybercrime specialists, drone pilots, and air support led investigators from the Grasmere Toll Plaza to Centurion, where the vehicle wreckage and bodies were found.
Among the recovered items were:
- Pieces of a VW Polo, found along the N1.
- A Renault Kangoo panel van, believed to have belonged to the admin clerk.
- Five bodies, including:
- Constable Boipelo Senoge
- Constable Cebekhulu Linda
- Constable Keamogetswe Buys
- The Lyttleton-based police admin clerk
- An unidentified decomposed body, under forensic investigation
Commissioner Masemola said: “It is with deep sorrow that I confirm that our three members have been found… We had hoped to find them safe, unharmed, and alive. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Our investigation will continue, and we are still searching for the VW Polo.”
Police divers from SAPS and Tshwane, assisted by aerial and cyber-intelligence teams, located the victims following a meticulous examination of evidence and tips. The victims’ families have been notified and identified the bodies at the mortuary.
While the cause of the incident remains undetermined, SAPS emphasised that no speculation will be made until the vehicle is recovered and investigations are complete.
Commissioner Masemola extended his condolences, saying: “We are relieved to provide painful closure to the families and the SAPS family, and we thank all involved in the search operation. Investigations are ongoing.”
Any guesses as to what may have happened?
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