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Final salute: Emotional farewell to young constables found in Hennops River
Final salute: Emotional farewell to young constables found in Hennops River

The Citizen

time06-05-2025

  • 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!

Another part of car found as investigation into deaths of 3 constables continues
Another part of car found as investigation into deaths of 3 constables continues

The Citizen

time03-05-2025

  • The Citizen

Another part of car found as investigation into deaths of 3 constables continues

Another part of car found as investigation into deaths of 3 constables continues Police divers have recovered the back part of the VW Polo that the three Free State constables were travelling in when they were reported missing and later found deceased in the Hennops River. The front part of the vehicle was recovered on May 1, Pretoria Rekord reports. The three police constables disappeared on April 23 while travelling from Bloemfontein to their deployment area in Limpopo. Constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Boipelo Senoge (24), and Keamogetswe Buys (30) will each be buried on separate days between May 8 and 10, with memorial and funeral services planned in Mangaung and Thaba Nchu. The partial vehicle recovery today comes just days after their bodies were discovered in the same river this week. The search began after vehicle debris believed to be from the constables' missing VW Polo was found near the river on April 28. The recovery followed days of tireless searching by a high-level SAPS task team across Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Free State. Investigators tracked a route from the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1, through the Buccleuch interchange, and onto John Voster Drive before locating key evidence near the river. Five bodies were recovered from the Hennops River during an intensive two-day search for three missing police constables earlier this week. Among the dead were Constables Senoge, Cebekhulu, and Buys, along with a Lyttelton police station employee who was driving a Renault Kangoo van, and a fifth, still-unidentified, decomposed body. A memorial service will be held at noon on Tuesday, May 6, at Bobbiespark in Bloemfontein. Police also confirmed that the two additional bodies found in the Hennops River are not connected to the three missing Free State constables. National Police Commissioner General Fanie Masemola said there is no connection between the three Free State constables and the two other bodies that were found during the police's large-scale search in the Hennops River. After the recovery of the VW Polo from the river, General Masemola said police are investigating a case of culpable homicide. Masemola closed by stating, 'At this stage, it looks like an accident until we finalise and the forensics have thoroughly investigated the car. Let the public be assured that this is what we have for now. For now, there is nothing sinister that we physically have seen in terms of, let's say, being shot, bullets, nothing. But, of course, there are injuries. Doctors will tell us exactly when they finalise their autopsies.' Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

Trio found in Hennops River to be buried next week, joint memorial service on Tuesday
Trio found in Hennops River to be buried next week, joint memorial service on Tuesday

The Citizen

time03-05-2025

  • The Citizen

Trio found in Hennops River to be buried next week, joint memorial service on Tuesday

The trio's joint memorial service will be held on Tuesday at Bobbies Park in Bloemfontein, Free State. The trio's joint memorial service will be held on Tuesday at Bobbies Park in Bloemfontein, Free State. Constable Boipelo Senoge will be buried on Thursday, Constable Cebekhulu Lindaon Friday and Constable Keamogetswe Buys on SaturdaY. Pictures: Supplied. The three constables found in Hennops River in Centurion will have a joint memorial service on Tuesday, while they will have separate funeral services. Free State provincial premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, MEC Jabu Mbalula, and provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane announced the funeral arrangements on Friday. 24-year-old Constable Cebekhulu Linda, 30-year-old Constable Keamogetswe Buys, and 20-year-old Constable Boipelo Senoge went missing for days, before their lifeless bodies were recovered from Hennops River on Wednesday, 29 April 2025. The trio's joint memorial service will be held on Tuesday at Bobbies Park in Bloemfontein, Free State. Constable Senoge will be buried on Thursday, Cebekhulu on Friday and Buys on Saturday. 'We are here to support you and to also let you know that we are equally pained by your loss. We will travel this journey together because those three souls were our children, and we also feel the pain that you are feeling,' said Letsoha-Mathae. The three constables were travelling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo when they went missing. Their lifeless bodies were found with two others, one of an admin clerk from the Lyttelton Police Station in Centurion and one unidentified person. ALSO READ: WATCH: Mchunu pleads with public to stop speculating about constables' deaths Last known location Police launched an investigation after the trio's cellphones and vehicle tracker went turned off. National police commissioner Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the constables' last known location was at the Engen garage near the Grasmere toll plaza on the N1 south of Johannesburg on a Wednesday. 'The members were off duty at the time and did not make it to their area of deployment.' The discovery of the trio was driven by a 24-hour venue operational centre (VOC) and a full-scale search with a high-level team of detectives and crime intelligence operators from Gauteng and the Free State. How the trio was found National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, during a media briefing, said the high-level Saps team spent sleepless nights for six days combing through Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo searching for the missing police officers. The commissioner said the investigation and search led them to Hennops River, where officers found pieces of vehicle parts believed to be a VW Polo along the N1. This discovery led officers to the banks of the river, where they located a Renault Kangoo panel van. 'We don't want to speculate at this stage what led to the discovery of these bodies in this river, whether it was an accident or not. Our investigation will reveal those aspects once we find their vehicle,' the commissioner said. Vehicle found On Thursday, police recovered the car the trio were travelling in from Hennops River, after parts of the car were found a day before. Mathe confirmed that the car pulled from the river is the one the police have been searching for. 'The vehicle chassis number confirms this is the vehicle that Saps has been searching for,' said Mathe. NOW READ: Vehicle parts retrieved from Hennops River a day after cop bodies found

Part of missing vehicle found in Hennops River
Part of missing vehicle found in Hennops River

The Citizen

time03-05-2025

  • The Citizen

Part of missing vehicle found in Hennops River

Police divers have recovered the back part of the VW Polo that the three Free State constables were travelling in when they were reported missing and later found deceased in the Hennops River. The front part of the vehicle was recovered on Thursday, May 1. The three police constables disappeared on April 23 while travelling from Bloemfontein to their deployment area in Limpopo. Constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Boipelo Senoge (24), and Keamogetswe Buys (30) will each be buried on separate days between May 8 and 10, with memorial and funeral services planned in Mangaung and Thaba Nchu. The partial vehicle recovery on May 3, comes just days after their bodies were discovered in the same river this week. The search began after vehicle debris believed to be from the constables' missing VW Polo was found near the river on Monday, April 28. The recovery followed days of tireless searching by a high-level SAPS task team across Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Free State. Investigators tracked a route from the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1, through the Buccleuch interchange, and onto John Voster Drive before locating key evidence near the river. Five bodies were recovered from the Hennops River during an intensive two-day search for three missing police constables earlier this week. #sapsHQ [UPDATE] Police divers have just found the back part of the VW Polo in the Hennops River, which the three constables were travelling in. NP — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 3, 2025 Among the dead were Constables Senoge, Cebekhulu, and Buys, along with a Lyttelton police station employee who was driving a Renault Kangoo van, and a fifth, still-unidentified, decomposed body. A memorial service will be held at noon on Tuesday, May 6, at Bobbiespark in Bloemfontein. Police also confirmed that the two additional bodies found in the Hennops River are not connected to the three missing Free State constables. National Police Commissioner General Fanie Masemola said there is no connection between the three Free State constables and the two other bodies that were found during the police's large-scale search in the Hennops River. After the recovery of the VW Polo from the river, General Masemola said police are investigating a case of culpable homicide. Masemola closed by stating, 'At this stage, it looks like an accident until we finalise and the forensics have thoroughly investigated the car. Let the public be assured that this is what we have for now. For now, there is nothing sinister that we physically have seen in terms of, let's say, being shot, bullets, nothing. But, of course, there are injuries. Doctors will tell us exactly when they finalise their autopsies.' ALSO READ: R100K reward offered, as NPC requests top cops intervention in missing journalist and partner case 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!

Constables found in Hennops River to be laid to rest after tragedy
Constables found in Hennops River to be laid to rest after tragedy

The Citizen

time03-05-2025

  • The Citizen

Constables found in Hennops River to be laid to rest after tragedy

Constables found in Hennops River to be laid to rest after tragedy The three young police constables whose bodies were discovered earlier this week in the Hennops River, Centurion will be laid to rest with full honours this coming week. Constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Boipelo Senoge (24), and Keamogetswe Buys (30) will be buried on separate days between May 8 and 10, with memorial and funeral services planned in Mangaung and Thaba Nchu. The three police constables, disappeared last Wednesday while travelling from Bloemfontein to their deployment area in Limpopo. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, May 6, at Bobbiespark in Bloemfontein. The service will begin at noon and is expected to be attended by dignitaries, police officials, and community members. Constable Boipelo Senoge's funeral service will be held on May 8 at the St Peter Anglican Church in Rocklands, Mangaung from 08:00 to 11:00 and the burial will be at South Park cemetery. Constable Cebekhulu Linda's funeral service will be on May 9 from 08:00 to 11:00 at the Magengenene cemetery in Mangaung. A venue is yet to be confirmed. The funeral service of Constable Keamogetswe Buys will be held on May 10 at the Thaba Nchu cemetery from 08:00 to 11:00. Earlier this week, five bodies were recovered from the Hennops River during an intensive two-day search for three missing police constables. Among the dead were Constables Senoge, Cebekhulu, and Buys, along with a Lyttelton police station employee who was driving a Renault Kangoo van, and a fifth, still-unidentified, decomposed body. Police also confirmed that the two additional bodies found in the Hennops River are not connected to the three missing Free State constables. National Police Commissioner General Fanie Masemola said there is no connection between the three Free State constables and the two other bodies that were found during the police's large-scale search in the Hennops River. The search, led by SAPS and Tshwane Metro divers, began after vehicle debris believed to be from the constables' missing VW Polo was found near the river on Monday, April 28. The recovery followed days of tireless searching by a high-level SAPS task team across Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Free State. Investigators tracked a route from the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1, through the Buccleuch interchange, and onto John Voster Drive before locating key evidence near the river. The Free State Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane, expressed her condolences to the families and pledged to ensure that the fallen members receive the recognition they deserve. After the recovery of the VW Polo from the river, General Masemola said police are investigating a case of culpable homicide. 'At this stage, it looks like an accident until we finalise and the forensics have thoroughly investigated the car. Let the public be assured that this is what we have for now.' 'For now there is nothing sinister that we physically have seen in terms of, let's say, being shot, bullets, nothing. But, of course, there are injuries. Doctors will tell us exactly when they finalise their autopsies.' The Free State government and police have called on the public to stand in solidarity with the families during this time of mourning. ALSO READ: Hennops River bodies: No link between missing Constables and two other bodies 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 At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

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