3 Free State SAPS Constables Allegedly Hijacked and Kidnapped, Police Call on Public for Assistance

• The South African Police Service have called on the public to assist with information after three police officers were allegedly kidnapped
• The trio, all constables stationed in Limpopo, were travelling from the Free State to Limpopo when they disappeared
• The police launched a full-scale search for the constables, who were off-duty when they disappeared

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

FREE STATE — Three South African Police Service (SAPS) officers were allegedly kidnapped while travelling from the Free State to Limpopo. The police opened a case of kidnapping and hijacking after they were last seen on 23 April 2025.

What happened to the police officers?

In a statement, SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said 24 year-old Constable Cebekhulu Linda, 30 year-old Constable Keamogetswe Buys and 20 year-old Constable Boipelo Senoge travelled in a white VW Polo from Bloemfontein to Limpopo, where they were deployed when they went missing.

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They were last seen at the Engen garage near the Grasmere toll plaza on the N1. Their vehicle tracking device and cell phones have been switched off since the day they disappeared. The police have established a 24 hour Venue Operational Centre. They also mobilised resources and launched a full-scale search with the help of crime intelligence operators and detectives from the Free State and Gauteng.

Recent kidnapping stories

• The police arrested a man in Oranjeville in the Free State on 19 February 2025 after he kidnapped a toddler and held him hostage
• The police noted that child kidnapping cases were on the rise after Police Minister Senzo Mchunu blamed foreign nationals for the rise in kidnapping cases, and an expert gave her view on the kidnappings
• An Ethiopian businessman was rescued on 10 March during an intense rescue operation which resulted in a dramatic shootout, leaving one suspect dead
• The South African Police Service launched an investigation after a teacher was kidnapped from her place of work in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape on 24 March 2025, and a video of the incident went viral
• The police shot and killed three suspects when they conducted a high-intense rescue mission of an American missionary pastor who was kidnapped in the Eastern Cape on 10 April and was found in Gqeberha

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12 arrested for kidnapping Limpopo businessman

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the police arrested 12 suspects in January for kidnapping a businessman in October 2024 from Louis Trichard in Limpopo. A multidisciplinary team effort resulted in the rescue.

The police traced the businessman's location after the kidnappers demanded a R15 million ransom for his release. They initially arrested eight people, but were nowhere near finding the victim.

After they arrested a foreign national on 24 January, he revealed the location of one of the suspects. The suspect was arrested in Mpumalanga, and he led them to the safehouse in Vuwani, where the businessman was located and rescued.

Source: Briefly News