Police Divers Retrieve Constables’ VW Polo From Hennops River, Mzansi Questions Condition of Vehicle

• South African Police Service (SAPS) divers retrieved the VW Polo from the Hennops River in Centurion
• The vehicle was confirmed to be the same one that three constables were travelling in before they disappeared
• South Africans questioned why the items inside the vehicle looked like it wasn’t damaged from being underwater

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The vehicle in which three police officers, Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys, and Boipelo Senoge, were travelling has been found.

The VW Polo was recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion on 1 May 2025, two days after the bodies of the three South African Police Service (SAPS) constables were found.

Linda, Buys and Senoge were travelling to Limpopo on 23 April when they disappeared without a trace.

Vehicle fished out of the Hennops River

Following the discovery of some parts belonging to the vehicle on 30 April on the N1 near the river, police continued their search in the river where the bodies were found. Five bodies were pulled out of the river, including those of the three officers.

Divers from the SAPS and Tshwane emergency services then found the vehicle submerged in the river and were able to retrieve it.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that it was the same vehicle that the officers were travelling in, as they were able to identify it using the vehicle’s chassis and VIN numbers.

Some of the items found inside included a handbag and a service book.

What you need to know about the three officers

• Police offered a R350,000 reward for information leading to a breakthrough in a search for three missing constables.
• The three SAPS constables who were allegedly kidnapped and hijacked were found dead on 29 April.
• Police recovered a total of five bodies from the Hennops River in Tshwane on 29 April.
• On 30 April, police were still searching for the vehicle that the officers were travelling in.
• Police discovered parts of the vehicle, leading to questions about where the car is.

South Africans still have questions

While social media users were relieved that the car was recovered, they also had questions about what happened.

@IDFWPWDFWM noted:

“So, not a single person got trapped in the car.”

@aguedarussa stated:

“It’s amazing how all this happened with nobody seeing anything on a very busy highway. I don’t live in Gauteng, but I use this road every month to go to a dealer on the east side. There are no marks of breaks or oil on the road. I checked again on the first day. How can this car look like this?”

@SEMolekwa said:

“Very sad. Can we also be updated on the other two bodies that were retrieved from the river? What’s the story there?”

@DonMasakala added:

“This car doesn’t look like it was involved in an accident.”

@Prof_Zigmeister noted:

“That handbag and those papers don’t look like they’ve been submerged in water for six days.”

@boyfrmcamp said:

“Is there evidence or marks of the car rolling before hitting the barrier. Was the barrier tested for the car’s debris or paint? So many unanswered questions...I'll wait to see how it unfolds. Sincere condolences to the family.”

SAPS officers go missing, later found dead

Briefly News also put together a timeline of events that led to the tragic discovery of the bodies of three constables.

The constables, who were allegedly kidnapped and hijacked on 23 April 2025, were found dead in the Hennops River.

The bodies were removed from the river along with the bodies of two other people.

Source: Briefly News