The South African Policing Union has raised alarm over the missing VW Polo linked to the deaths of three constables found in the Hennops River, saying the car is central to the investigation.
Image: Timothy Bernad/African News Agency (ANA)
The South African Policing Union (SAPU) raised concern over the missing Volkswagen Polo that three constables, later found dead in the Hennops River, were traveling in, saying it holds key information in the ongoing investigation.
SAPU spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale said the union was deeply saddened by the deaths of the three police officers and another member of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“SAPU is saddened to learn that the members are among the five bodies that were retrieved from the Hennops River in Centurion, which includes another member who worked at the Lyttelton Police Station,” he said.
Thobakgale said the union acknowledged the ongoing investigation and welcomed the confirmation from National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
“We are concerned that the VW Polo that the three constables were traveling in has not yet been found, as it is key to these investigations as the mode of transport they were using,” he said.
“We hope that the police investigation will lead to the recovery of the vehicle.”
This follows confirmation by Masemola that the vehicle had not been located.
He said finding the missing VW Polo could help solve the case involving the three officers, whose bodies were among five recovered from the river in Centurion.
Speaking during a media briefing at the river on Tuesday night, Masemola confirmed that the bodies of Constables Keamogetswe Buys, 30, Boipelo Senoge, 24, and Cebekhulu Linda, 24, were identified by their families at the Tshwane mortuary.
The officers were last seen in the early hours of Thursday at a petrol station near the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1 in Gauteng.
Their vehicle, a Volkswagen Polo hatchback with registration number JCL 401 FS, was last tracked before their phones, vehicle tracker, and devices were turned off after leaving the station.
Masemola said police found car parts believed to be from a VW Polo along the N1, which led officers to the riverbank, where a Renault Kangoo panel van was discovered.
The police union has voiced frustration over the missing vehicle that could hold vital clues in the deaths of three SAPS officers, whose bodies were recovered in Centurion.
Image: Timothy Bernard/African News Agency (ANA)
Police and Tshwane divers launched a search operation, leading to the recovery of five bodies.
“One of the bodies was that of the driver of the Renault panel van, who, we have just learned, is one of our employees attached to the Lyttelton Police Station,” Masemola said.
According to Masemola, the employee had visited friends on Saturday and did not return home.
His concerned wife checked the car's tracker around 2am on Sunday and saw it was about one kilometer from their home in Hennops Park.
However, she did not report him missing until Monday, after a passerby spotted a vehicle in the river and alerted authorities.
Masemola said police recovered two bodies on Monday, one of which was confirmed to be Constable Senoge.
The search was paused due to darkness and resumed on Tuesday morning.
“Tuesday morning, the third body was discovered, believed to be that of Constable Linda,” he said.
Police later found a fourth, decomposed body that has not yet been identified.
“Later this afternoon (Tuesday), we sadly found the fifth body, that of Constable Buys,” Masemola added.
Meanwhile, Thobakgale extended condolences to the affected families and SAPS colleagues.
“We want to send our condolences to the Senoge family, Buys family, Linda family, and the family of the groundsman who worked at Lyttelton Police Station, for the loss of their loved ones who dedicated their lives to serving our communities,” he said.
“We also extend our condolences to the members who worked with the deceased and to all South Africans touched by this tragedy.”
Thobakgale commended Masemola’s leadership and support provided to the families, urging that continued assistance be extended.
“SAPU wishes all law enforcement members safety at all times, whether on or off duty, because they remain our protectors,” he said.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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