What began as a desperate manhunt for three missing South African Police Service (SAPS) officers has ended in tragedy, with the discovery of five bodies, including those of all three constables, near the Hennops River in Centurion.
For nearly a week, police teams had scoured Gauteng, Free State, and Limpopo in a high-stakes search for Constable Keamogetswe Buys, Constable Boipelo Senoge, and Constable Cebekhulu Linda. Despite intense efforts and round-the-clock work from an elite investigative task force, the outcome is one no one wanted.
A key lead brought investigators to the stretch of the N1 highway between the Grasmere Toll Plaza and the Buccleuch Interchange, eventually guiding them to John Voster Drive. The search then shifted to the Hennops River, where authorities made the grim discovery.
On Monday, a joint effort involving SAPS drone pilots, the cybercrime and counter-intelligence units, the Hawks, Gauteng Traffic Airwing, and private air support from Bidvest Protea Coin, uncovered debris thought to be from a VW Polo. The trail led to a Renault Kangoo panel van by the riverbank, where diving teams recovered two bodies, one identified as an administrative clerk from Lyttleton Police Station, and the other confirmed to be Constable Senoge.
Due to fading light, the search was halted for the night. On Tuesday morning, divers found a third body, believed to be Constable Linda. Later in the day, they discovered a fourth, severely decomposed body, yet to be identified. By the afternoon, the fifth and final body, that of Constable Buys, was recovered.
Grieving families were brought to the mortuary to identify their loved ones, bringing devastating closure to a case that has gripped the nation.
Authorities have confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing, with a critical piece of the puzzle still missing, the VW Polo involved. While speculation is mounting, officials are holding off on drawing conclusions about whether the deaths resulted from an accident or foul play.
“This is not the outcome we hoped for,” said National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola. “But at least we can now offer some measure of closure to the families and the SAPS community.”
