Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae Slams Social Media Users During the 3 Constables’ Memorial Service

• The Free State Premier, Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, took a swipe at members of the public who had conspiracy theories about the death of the three South African Police Services constables
• Constables Cebekhulu Linda, Boipelo Senoge and Keamogetswe Buys were found dead six days after they disappeared on 23 April 2025
• The Premier, who spoke at their memorial service in Bloemfontein, Free State, accused members of the public of not being sensitive

With nine years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a current affairs writer for Briefly News, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

BLOEMFONTEIN, FREE STATE — Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae criticised social media users during the memorial service of the three South African Police Service (SAPS) members who disappeared on 23 April 2025 and were found six days later in Tshwane.

What did Macqueen Letsoha-Mathae say?

Letsoha-Mathae spoke at the joint memorial service of the officers, which was held in Bloemfontein in the Free State on 6 May. She addressed social media rumours circulating that there was foul play involved in the officers' deaths. She slammed them and accused them of being insensitive to the feelings of the grieving families.

"Those on social media help us heal the wounds. We now have social media investigators who have more knowledge than trained investigators. You think you're writing because it's lovely and you know how to write in English, but you don't know the wounds you are opening.

"And the pain from these words doesn't heal immediately. It creates distrust, such that family members do not trust those who have come to mourn with them," she said.

She added that social media users have become wheel and vehicle manufacturers in their attempt to dissect the scene of the alleged accident. She said the police must be given the platform to do their job and investigate the cause of the officers' deaths.

What happened to the officers?

The three officers were last seen at the Kranskop Toll Plaza on the N1 on 23 April after they left Bloemfontein to Polokwane in Limpopo to be deployed. The police found the bodies six days later in the Hennops River in Centurion, Tshwane. The car they travelled in was found a day after their bodies were retrieved.

What you need to know about the officers' deaths

• The police found their bodies and confirmed their identities after they were recovered from the Hennops River on 29 April
• A part of the vehicle was also found a few kilometres from where the bodies were retrieved
• The VW Polo they travelled in was located after divers conducted a search spanning days in the Hennops River
• The deputy national commissioner of investigations, General Shadrack Sibiya, said the officers were speeding in wet conditions when they died
• One of the relatives of the police officers spoke up and said that he was relieved that the car they travelled in was found

Family member wants answers

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Constable Cebekhulu Linda's family demands answers to how their child died. A family representative said that they wanted to know what caused the accident that allegedly killed them.

The family spokesperson said Cebekhulu was careful and diligent. He wanted to know how it was possible that a careful person like him would die in an accident.

Source: Briefly News