Nation left heartbroken over death of missing constables

The country is reeling from shock after days of searching for three police constables ended on a sad note.

Their bodies were found in the Hennops river along the N1 in Centurion.

Constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Keamogetswe Buys (30) and Boipelo Senoge (20) went missing last week while travelling from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo. They were going there to join their colleagues who are part of the Vala Umgodi operation, which is aimed at combating illegal mining and associated crimes.

Two other bodies were also discovered at the scene.

National police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, confirmed that investigators found pieces of a VW TSI vehicle, believed to be the one the constables were traveling in at the time of their disappearance.

Families of the constables have identified their loved ones’ bodies.

Masemola says they are devastated by the discovery, as they had hoped to find their colleagues alive.

A R350 000 reward for any information on the whereabouts of the officers was on offer at the time of the discovery.

According to General Masemola, one of the deceased was an administration clerk at the Lyttleton Police Station.

The other body is yet to be identified.

Crime expert, Willem Els, has described the incident as concerning and disheartening.

Social media users have expressed heartbreak over this incident.

Hennops river, this is a sad story, Condolences to the family🙏🕯️. I hope they get to find out what really happened. Possible hijack here🤞🏽

— Hope 👑 (@Hope_Maja) April 29, 2025

Condolences to the families of All 5 deceased persons found at Hennops River. It has been confirmed that the 3 missing police officers are amongst the deceased. May their souls rest in peace 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/bBZyQF9TND

— Danion (@danion_dona) April 29, 2025

Of course, it doesn’t help that the Hennops Rivier is in TERRIBLE CONDITION and the municipalities hardly if ever service and clean the river. The river is filthy and contaminated. The water is grossly polluted, deadly even.

— Mr Kaplan (@LucyPearl620) April 29, 2025

So, two separate accidents happened on the same spot at Hennops River. pic.twitter.com/UomGsSGTID

— khelinda Khawula (@KLKKLK1457047) April 29, 2025

As a country we are going through a lot.

Hennops River pic.twitter.com/5vX44DUF84

— HannieMat💎 (@HannieMatloa) April 29, 2025

I doubt this was an accident, something is amis..Hennops River.
1.all phones were off?
2.Vehicle tracker off?https://t.co/uw5sxndjTa of the phones was trying to access the banking app.before it went off?
4.The barrier is still intact? So the car jumped?Njani!!!.. #News24 MacG pic.twitter.com/7m9yha8L4g

— Reddington (@Thobs_Redd) April 29, 2025