What began as a hopeful search for three missing police officers has ended in a devastating discovery—five bodies have been pulled from the Hennops River in Centurion, and three of them have now been confirmed as the young constables who vanished last week.
What we know so far
Constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Keamogetswe Buys (30), and Boipelo Senoge (20) had vanished on 23 April while travelling off-duty from Bloemfontein to Limpopo in a white VW Polo. Linda and Buys had been deployed to Operation Vala Umgodi, a unit focused on tackling illegal mining.
Senoge, based at the Park Road police station in Bloemfontein, had been accompanying her boyfriend, Linda, and was expected to return on Friday for his mother’s scheduled surgery.
But the trio never made it to their destination.
Their last known location was at an Engen garage near the Grasmere toll plaza along the N1 highway. Shortly after leaving the garage, their phones and the vehicle’s tracking system went dead.
The trio never made it to their destination, and with no sign of them for days, fears mounted. Authorities launched an extensive manhunt, supported by a R350,000 reward for any information on their whereabouts.
Revelations at the Hennops River
The breakthrough came on Monday, 28 April, when police divers began combing the Hennops River, just off the N1 highway in Centurion. According to National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, pieces of the VW Polo were found near a damaged bridge barrier—evidence that suggested the vehicle may have plunged into the river. That discovery led officers to the riverbank, where two bodies were initially recovered.
By Tuesday evening, the death toll had risen to five. Among them were Linda, Buys, and Senoge, whose bodies were identified by their families at a Pretoria mortuary.
The other two bodies included a police groundsman from Lyttelton Police Station, whose Renault Kangoo panel van was also found in the river, and an unidentified woman whose body is believed to have been in the water for about two weeks.
What happens now? Ongoing investigation and unanswered questions
“This is not how we expected this case to unfold,” said Masemola. “We were hoping for a positive outcome. Be that as it may, we are relieved that we could provide painful closure to the families and the broader SAPS family.”
The scene along the Hennops River was cordoned off by police and emergency responders, including swift water rescue units, firefighters, and forensic teams. According to Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, the incident was reported around 9 am on Monday when a vehicle was spotted submerged near a low-lying bridge in Rabie Street.
While SAPS is not ruling anything out, investigators are currently treating the matter as a case of culpable homicide. “Whether it was an accident or not, our investigation will reveal those aspects once we find their vehicle,” said Masemola. Despite parts of the Polo being found, the full vehicle remains missing.
While no direct connection has yet been made between the five bodies, the SAPS has confirmed that all avenues are being investigated. For now, the country mourns the loss of these young officers whose lives were cut short under tragic and mysterious circumstances.
And as the nation mourns, the question lingers: What exactly happened that night?
Emma is a freshly graduated Journalist from Stellenbosch University, who also holds an Honours in history. She joined the explain team, eager to provide thorough and truthful information and connect with her generation.
