Latest news with #BoipeloSenoge
Eyewitness News
09-05-2025
- Eyewitness News
Constable Cebekhulu Linda's loved ones, SAPS members gather for funeral service
BLOEMFONTEIN - Friends, family, and members of the police service have gathered at the St Rose Catholic Church in Bloemfontein on Friday morning for the funeral service of constable Cebekhulu Linda who died in a horrific crash at the Hennops River in Centurion. Boipelo Senoge and Keamogetswe buys were with Linda in the car when it veered off the N1 highway plunging into the river. ALSO READ: - Constable Boipelo Senoge, who died in an accident travelling to Polokwane, laid to rest - Free State govt slams online speculation related to deaths of 3 constables - FS govt pledges ongoing support to families of 3 constables who died while on duty A nationwide search ended last week when their bodies and their white VW Polo were recovered from the water. Police top brass are also in attendance at today's funeral, including deputy police minister Polly Boshielo and national crime detection deputy Shadrack Sibiya. Still in disbelief about the loss of a young and promising life, the Linda family has put on a brave face as they prepare to bid Cebekhulu goodbye. Born on 22 April 2001, his family and friends say he lived a life of service and dedication. He died just two days after celebrating his 24th birthday, when he was deployed to Limpopo as part of Operation Vala Umgodi, set up to tackle illegal mine in hotspot areas. Their sudden disappearance en toute sparked public speculation, much of which has been dismissed by authorities, who ruled the incident an accident. A full scene reconstruction to determine the exact circumstances of the accident is yet to be completed. Senogoe was buried in the Free State on Thursday, while Keamogetswe buys will be laid to rest on Saturday.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- IOL News
‘Please do not leave SAPS': Minister Senzo Mchunu's appeal at Constable Senoge's funeral
Constable Boipelo Senoge, aged 20, died in a horrific crash alongside her two colleagues last month while travelling to Limpopo. Image: SAPS Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on Thursday paid tribute to 20-year-old Constable Boipelo Senoge who lost her life, alongside two colleagues, following a horrific crash at the Hennops River in Tshwane. IOL reported earlier this week that a joint memorial service was held in Bloemfontein, Free State, in honour of the three SA Police Service (SAPS) constables - Senoge, Cebekhulu Linda, 24, and Keamogetswe Buys. Mchunu; Premier of the Free State, Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae; national police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola and provincial commissioner of police in the Free State, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane were some of the delegates at Senoge's funeral in Bloemfontein on Thursday. In his keynote address, Mchunu said SAPS feels the negative impact when any member leaves. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. 'When a police officer leaves the service for any reason, worse when it is through death, the impact is felt deeply throughout the entire department. Because we are always under pressure in terms of personnel, we do want to persuade all of you not to leave. Those of you who are from SAPS, those who are here, and those who are not here. Please do not leave. Stay with the service. It is the right thing to do,' Mchunu told the crowd of mourners. 'We understand the challenges, the difficulties - but it is the right thing to do. We know SAPS members are always facing threats and as the family of SAPS we are always facing the threat of losing officers through natural attrition, resignation, or other unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, we mourn the profound loss of these three constables.' Three SAPS constables Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys and Boipelo Senoge were travelling in a white Volkswagen Polo from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo when they went missing last month. Image: SAPS IOL reported on Tuesday that the official funerals for the three constables will be held on separate dates from Thursday to Saturday. The funeral of Constable Senoge was held on Thursday morning, at St Peter Anglican Church, Rocklands, Mangaung, and burial was set for South Park Cemetery. The funeral service for Constable Linda will happen on Friday morning and he will be laid to rest at Magengenene cemetery in Mangaung. For Constable Buys, the funeral service will be held on Saturday morning and she will be laid to rest at Thaba Nchu cemetery. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Mchunu recounted that it is now just over two weeks since the sad news of the disappearance of the three constables emerged. 'That alone was a shock to everyone who received it - the families, the South African Police Service, and the country at large. But over and above this, there was trauma — the anguish of not knowing what could have happened, when it might have occurred, and how it came to be,' he said. 'This already painful situation was worsened by speculation circulating on various social media platforms. Right from the beginning, we believed that the best way of coming to terms with the situation and handling it properly, with integrity, was to establish a 24-hour Venue Operational Centre, with a multi-disciplinary team comprising the heads of intelligence and detectives from Limpopo, Free State, and Gauteng.' He said during the extensive search for the missing police officers, the broader team included highly skilled and experienced police officers from across the SAPS, including seasoned expert detectives, crime and counter-intelligence operatives, as well as members from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (also known as the Hawks), the cybercrime unit, among other specialised units. 'Once this team was in place, it took five days before we began to make meaningful progress. As the investigation developed, all possible leads were pursued, including the detailed questioning of an individual who had approached the constables' vehicle at a petrol station,' said Mchunu. Authorities recovered bodies of the missing constables from Hennops River Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers Using every tool at our disposal, including advanced technology and evidence gathering, our investigation tracked the vehicle's last known path — from the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1, past the Buccleuch Interchange, and onto John Vorster Drive in Centurion. This ultimately led us to the Hennops River along the N1, where we conducted a three-day search.' During the search in the river, the teams also found the body of a SAPS groundsmen stationed at the Lyttelton police station, Jan Mzwane. IOL News
Eyewitness News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Free State govt slams online speculation related to deaths of 3 constables
JOHANNESBURG - The Free State government has slammed online rumours about the deaths of three provincial police officers, warning that baseless claims could hurt grieving families and undermine Boipelo Senoge, Cebekhulu Linda and Keamogetswe Buys died when their vehicle plunged into the Hennops River in Centurion, after veering off the N1 highway. READ: FS govt pledges ongoing support to families of 3 constables who died while on duty A nationwide search ended last week when their bodies and their white VW Polo were recovered from the police have ruled out foul play, public speculation online has persisted.A moving memorial service was held on Tuesday in Bloemfontein, packed with tearful mourners paying tribute to the young officers' commitment to the ceremony was overshadowed by widespread social media rumours, with some users suggesting the tragedy was linked to a love State Premier Maqueen Lethsoha-Mathae slammed the online speculation, warning that such claims not only hurt grieving families but also risked derailing investigations."When we mourn in pain, let us not taunt the grieving families. They had hope for their children. You on social media, who think you know more than college graduates, stop playing investigator and causing more hurt to them and the investigation." Meanwhile, national police have confirmed that a full reconstruction of the scene is underway to determine exactly what led to the officers' deaths.
Eyewitness News
06-05-2025
- Eyewitness News
FS top cop Motswenyane wants 3 fallen constables to be remembered for their service
BLOEMFONTEIN - Free State Police Commissioner Baile Motswenyane is urging South Africans to remember three fallen constables for their service, not the tragic crash that claimed their lives. Hundreds of mourners gathered in Bloemfontein on Tuesday to honour Boipelo Senoge, Cebekhulu Linda and Keamogetswe Buys, who were found dead in the Hennops River after vanishing during a trip to Polokwane. The VW Polo they were travelling in was recovered last week, days after the officers were last seen at a petrol station near the Grasmere toll plaza. While police have ruled out foul play, questions around what caused the crash remain unanswered. But Motswenyane said that now was not the time for speculation. "The devastating confirmation that our members have perished has shaken us deeply. But even in our mourning, we stand united. Let them not be defined by the tragedy but by their courage, their service and unwavering commitment to duty."
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- The Citizen
Final salute: Emotional farewell to young constables found in Hennops River
An emotional memorial service was held to honour Constables Boipelo Senoge, Keamogetswe Buys, and Cebekhulu Linda — three young police officers whose promising lives and careers were tragically cut short, leaving their families, colleagues, and the nation in mourning. The bodies of the three police constables were retrieved from the Hennops River in Centurion last week. A memorial took place at Bobbies Park in Bloemfontein. National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said mourners gathered with heavy hearts to honour the tragic and untimely loss of three young, dedicated, and dynamic police constables. 'We gather in this province today with heavy hearts, to mourn the tragic and devastating untimely departure of our three young, dedicated and dynamic police Constables. 'While words cannot fully express the depth of our loss, we remember them for their unwavering commitment to serving and protecting fellow South Africans and for their enthusiasm, operational intellect, and kindness that extended far beyond their specific areas of responsibility. 'It is with profound sorrow and great loss that I stand here before you to talk about three young lives that we now have to talk about in the past tense.' Five bodies were recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion last week during an intensive two-day search for three missing police constables. One of the bodies found in the river was of a 'white person'. Police also unearthed a Renault Kangoo panel van in the river, and a fourth body. The deceased driver of the van was a member of the SAPS attached to the Lyttelton police station in Tshwane. Among the dead were Constables Boipelo Senoge, Cebekhulu Linda, and Keamogetswe Buys, along with a Lyttelton police station employee who was driving a Renault Kangoo van, and a fifth, still-unidentified, decomposed body. Masemola said when one joins the SAPS family, we all take up the oath of office called the SAPS code of conduct. 'The SAPS' Code of Conduct outlines the principles and values that guide the behaviour of police officers. Law enforcement is a unique endeavour, some would say it is a profession, while most involved would say it is a calling. 'I would argue that there are few undertakings so noble as the protection of your community. There are those who question why anyone would ever go into the field of law enforcement. For those of us involved, we could not imagine ever doing anything else. 'We were indeed still hoping to see the three constables progress within the ranks and still contribute to crime combatting efforts. The sad and devastating part is that they only had two years' service. To the families of Constable Senoge, Buys and Linda, it is my hope and prayer that you will find comfort and strength in God during this very difficult time of immense loss. 'May God ease the pain and distress of your bereavement. May the loving memories of your time together bring you peace, comfort, and strength.' He added that when the police first picked up this case, they never anticipated this tragic end. 'We initially thought it was a possible hijacking and kidnapping. We investigated, but through technology and, meticulous intelligence and detective work, our investigation led us to the Hennops River in Centurion along the N1 – where we undertook a three-day search. It had been a difficult six days for members of the South African Police Service and the affected families as we searched everywhere for our three missing police officers.' Masemola said the high-level team appointed spent sleepless nights combing the length and breadth of Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo. 'Following all possible leads and after studying all evidence we had gathered, our investigation led us to Hennops River, where we recovered the bodies of the three members, our groundsman, Jan Zwane and a decomposed body. Ultimately, on the 7th day of the investigation and search, we found the VW polo belonging to Constable Linda. 'Let me once again thank all our dedicated units and other law enforcement agencies that assisted in the search and rescue operation. From our crime and counter – intelligence units, K9 search and rescue, cybercrime, detectives from various units, our Airwing and drone pilots, the hawks and divers from various units and organisations.' He furthermore said the vehicle accident unit of the SAPS is still conducting further investigations, and we eagerly await the comprehensive report that will reveal the cause of the tragic accident. Also read: Hennops River bodies: No bullet wounds on three deceased Constables Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
