Latest news with #ShadrackSibiya
News24
08-05-2025
- News24
DNA results to confirm in 24 hours if bodies are remains of missing journalist and partner
Deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has assured families of missing journalist Aserie Ndlovu and partner Zodwa Mdhluli that DNA results confirming the identities of two bodies found in Rust De Winter will be available within 24 hours. That the bodies were located in a different province was an attempt by the perpetrators to mislead investigators, said Mpumalanga police commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi. Should the DNA results confirm the identities, murder charges will be added against the five suspects currently in custody for the couple's disappearance. The families of missing journalist Aserie Ndlovu and his partner, Zodwa Mdhluli, will know within 24 hours if the two bodies recovered in a field in Rust De Winter are, in fact, the remains of the couple. This was an undertaking made by deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, who said while the police were confident they had found the pair, DNA results would still need to confirm it. Sibiya was speaking at the crime scene in Limpopo, where forensic experts were collecting DNA from the remains. He said samples would also be taken from family members for comparison. 'Within 24 hours, it should be clear,' he said. 'As the South African Police Service, we will continue to work very hard to make sure we bring the perpetrators to justice.' READ | Four arrested in connection with missing journalist Aserie Ndlovu, partner The two bodies were found in a bush after one of the five men arrested in connection with the pair's disappearance allegedly pointed police to the area. The pair were last seen in separate locations on 18 February – Mdhluli at their home in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, and Ndlovu leaving Capital Media FM SA, which he ran from a Denlyn Mall booth in Mamelodi, Gauteng. Mpumalanga police commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi said the fact that the bodies were found in a different province was a sign that the perpetrators were trying to throw the police off track. 'As investigations started in Mpumalanga and Gauteng [and now Limpopo], it shows that they were trying to completely mislead us,' he said. 'But we are happy that with all the techniques that have been used, we have been able to get to where we are. Our detectives did well.' Teams from Mpumalanga and Gauteng, reinforced by investigators from the national police, were tasked with investigating the case, using various technologies to trace leads. 'I can't disclose much about the technology used, safe to say that we used technology that was able to show us this is what happened, this is how it happened, and we moved between the areas following what the technology was showing us,' he said. Responding to whether it took the police too long to find Ndlovu and Mdhluli, Sibiya said: 'The process of investigations can't be determined. Sometimes you find bodies within a day or two, sometimes after months, and some bodies are never found at all.' He said should the DNA results positively identify the couple, murder charges would be added against the five men.
The South African
08-05-2025
- The South African
SAPS find human remains suspected to be of missing journalist and partner
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed the discovery of human remains in an open veld in the KwaMhlanga area, Mpumalanga, as investigations intensify into the disappearance of a Pretoria-based journalist and his partner. According to SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the remains were found in an area identified by suspects currently in custody. DNA testing will be conducted to determine if the remains are those of the couple, who were last seen on 18 February 2025. The discovery follows a coordinated cross-provincial police operation led by Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya and Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi. Four suspects have since been arrested. Investigators say the first suspect was reportedly the last person seen with the missing couple, while the others were found with vehicle parts believed to belong to the journalist, identified as Aserie Ndlovu. Two Volkswagen Citi Golfs found in the suspects' possession have been seized as evidence. Among those arrested is a local mechanic believed to have tampered with or dismantled vehicles linked to the case. National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed the developments and assured the public that every effort is being made to bring clarity and justice in this troubling case. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
02-05-2025
- The Citizen
Hennops River bodies: No link between missing Constables and two other bodies
Hennops River bodies: No link between missing Constables and two other bodies Police have 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 Fannie Masemola spoke to the media after the missing vehicle of the three constables were found on Thursday. He 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. 'I just want to make that clear because it seems people believe that all five bodies that were found were here.' Earlier this week, five bodies were recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion during an intensive two-day search for three missing police constables. Addressing journalists at the crime scene, deputy national police commissioner for crime detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya said 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. A white handbag, an identity document, a vehicle service book and keys. These are some of the items police officers found inside the wrecked white VW Polo, which three Free State constables were travelling into Limpopo when they went missing last week. 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. 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. 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!
Eyewitness News
29-04-2025
- Eyewitness News
Five bodies recovered from Hennops River in search for missing Free State officers
JOHANNESBURG - Deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has confirmed that five bodies have now been recovered from the Hennops river, two of which are believed to be those of two missing Free State police officers. South African Police Service (SAPS) members have been scouring the vast river in Centurion in search for a third missing female police officer who was travelling with two colleagues from Bloemfontein to Limpopo last week when they went missing. Last Wednesday Constables Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys and Boipelo Senoge went missing while en-route to their area of deployment in Limpopo. ALSO READ: Bodies believed to be 3 missing Free State police members recovered The bodies of a male and female recovered in the river yesterday are suspected to be that of two of the missing officers. Evidence led police to the N1 highway near a bridge that crosses the Hennops river on Tuesday morning. This is where search operations have been active, throughout the day, with two more bodies now recovered. 'They started combing yesterday and that's the first thing they found, they found two bodies. the search continued this morning. we are still searching for the vehicle, that VW Polo vehicle that we have been circulating but that has still not been found,' police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe. Mathe said the family members of the officers had arrived in Pretoria and were being briefed by investigators.
The South African
27-04-2025
- The South African
SAPS leaders meet investigators on missing officers
The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, and Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, are meeting today with the investigation team tasked with finding three missing police officers. Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, SAPS national spokesperson, confirmed the leadership's plans, saying, 'The pair will receive an update on progress made in finding our own from both the Provincial Commissioners of Free State and Gauteng, Lieutenant General Baile Motsweenyane and Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni.' After the update, General Masemola and his team will meet with the officers' families and address the media. The missing officers — 30-year-old Constable Keamogetswe Buys, 20-year-old Constable Boipelo Senoge, and 24-year-old Constable Cebekhulu Linda- disappeared while travelling from Bloemfontein to their deployment site in Limpopo. They were last seen at the Engen garage near the Grasmere toll plaza on the N1 on Wednesday, 23 April. Their white VW Polo, bearing the registration number JCL 401 FS, has not been traced since. 'Their vehicle tracking device and cell phones have been off since their disappearance,' SAPS confirmed. At the time, the constables were off duty but expected to report for work later that day. A 24-hour Venue Operational Centre (VOC) has been set up to coordinate the search, with high-level detectives and crime intelligence teams from Gauteng and Free State fully mobilised. SAPS has opened a case of possible hijacking and kidnapping. 'A full-scale search is underway,' SAPS stated, urging members of the public to come forward with any information. The police have asked anyone with information to contact the investigating officer, Captain Chaacha Manga, at 082 527 6099. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
