Rescue teams retrieve a body from the Hennops River, as top SAPS officials oversee the scene in Centurion.
Image: Simon Majadibodu/IOL
The five bodies that were recovered from the Hennops River have been transported to the mortuary for identification by their families, police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the development at the scene.
“The police have managed to retrieve the fifth body, and all the bodies will be taken to the mortuary,” said Mathe.
“Families will identify the bodies that were retrieved from the river.”
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola is expected to provide an update on the incident.
Police have recovered five bodies from the Hennops River as investigations intensify into the disappearance of three SAPS members last seen in Gauteng
Image: Simon Majadibodu/IOL
Earlier on Tuesday, police recovered the fifth body, which is believed to be female, approximately 10 kilometres downstream from the initial recovery site along the same river
Senior police officers, seasoned investigators, and rescue teams were at the scene.
Rescue workers, dressed in full gear, utilised ladders and drone technology to recover the body from beneath a bridge.
Media personnel were temporarily prohibited from filming the recovery, with a striped blanket employed to shield the scene. Shortly after the body was retrieved, access was granted to the media.
Search and recovery operations remain under way as authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The South African Police Service has retrieved five bodies from the Hennops River and is working to determine whether the remains belong to three missing police officers
Image: Simon Majadibodu/IOL
Earlier on Tuesday, police confirmed the recovery of three bodies from the river in Centurion.
Officers are investigating whether they are linked to the three missing SAPS members who vanished last week.
“The SAPS confirms that its investigation has brought it to the Hennops River in Centurion along the N1. We have three bodies so far, whose identities are yet to be confirmed,” said Mathe.
“We are searching for another body and any other evidence that will assist us in concluding the case of the missing police officers.”
The trio was last seen early Thursday morning at a petrol station near the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1 in Gauteng.
The SAPS, with assistance from private security companies, continues to search for clues in the disappearance.
On Sunday, IOL reported that Masemola had announced a R350,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the missing officers.
He made the announcement in Bloemfontein, flanked by Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae and the SAPS Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya.
“We are hopeful, and we will find whoever is behind this. We will definitely make sure that we do not rest,” Masemola said.
“We have put out a reward of R350,000 for any information on the whereabouts of our members and the whereabouts of those criminals responsible for their disappearance.”
The officers’ last known location was the Engen fuel station on the N1 in Gauteng.
After leaving the station, the Volkswagen Polo hatchback they were travelling in—bearing registration number JCL 401 FS—had its tracking device and cellphones switched off.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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