12 SA Military Personnel Charged in Murder of Hawks Detective Frans Mathipa
- Eight South African soldiers face charges over the 2023 shooting death of Hawks detective Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa on a Pretoria motorway
- BBC-obtained prosecution files and police documents link special forces personnel to Mathipa's killing and an earlier abduction he was investigating
- Three suspects, including a named major, have refused to surrender despite a court order revoking their bail
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Source: UGC
SOUTH AFRICA — Eight members of the South African National Defence Force have been charged in connection with the August 2023 murder of Senior Police Detective Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa, a Hawks investigator who was shot dead on a Pretoria motorway.
Prosecution files and police documents obtained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) link special forces personnel to Mathipa's death and to a separate abduction he had been probing. Mathipa was investigating the December 2022 disappearance of alleged Islamic State recruiter Abdella Abadigga, who vanished from the Mall of Africa. Security footage from the mall captured military special forces members tracking Abadigga, using vehicles registered to Peters Communications Trust, a known military front company.
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Toll footage and tracking data place suspects at scene
Police tracking records show a vehicle registered to the same front company was present at the location where Mathipa was killed. Highway toll camera footage identified Major Sunnybooi Wambi inside a vehicle trailing Mathipa before the shooting took place. According to police documents, special forces members subsequently warned investigators that any officer assigned to the case would face the same fate.
In total, 12 military personnel face charges that include murder, kidnapping, fraud, and obstruction of justice. Among those named are Wambi and the current head of special forces, Brigadier General Solomon Lechoenyo. Notably, both men received promotions after the initial police investigation was launched.
Suspects refuse to surrender despite court order
A court has revoked bail for six of the defendants, but three special forces members, including Wambi, have not handed themselves over to authorities. The military has declined to compel their surrender, stating the individuals are undergoing mental health treatment. No trial date has been set in the case. Both the South African National Defence Force and the presidency declined to comment when approached.
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Source: Briefly News
