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
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