AS investigation into the death of three police officers continue, families still demand answers.
On Wednesday, National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola confirmed that three of the five bodies retrieved are those of the three missing police officers, whose bodies were found in the Hennops River in Centurion on Tuesday.
The other body is that of an administration clerk attached to the Lyttelton police station, in Pretoria.
Constables Boipelo Senoge (20), Cebekhulu Linda (24) and Keamogetswe Buys (30), were last seen on April 23 at an Engen garage near the Grasmere toll plaza along the N1, traveling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo on work assignment.
Masemola said investigations are under way and the police are still searching for the VW Polo the three were travelling in. “We don’t want to speculate at this stage about what led to the discovery of the bodies in the river—whether it was an accident or not. The investigation will reveal those details once we find the vehicle,” he said.
The three were to investigate illegal mining in the Limpopo province.
Some of the families could not contain their tears during site visit at Hennops River, whilst others demanded answers from the police.
The father of Const Senoge said he was happy they did manage to identify her body, insisting the police will now have to dig deep in identifying what happened.
“Masemola must provide answers not only to the families but to the public about what happened, why and who must be held accountable,” said EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo.
“This development is deeply concerning. The presence of multiple bodies in one river system, within a short time frame and geographic radius, suggests a broader and possibly co-ordinated pattern of violence that demands urgent and thorough investigation.
“The EFF urges authorities to work with urgency to identify the last individual and notify their family. No family should have to endure uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones, and every life lost deserves dignity, justice and closure.”
At the time of publishing, the police confirmed were searching for a VW Polo, and certain parts of the car were identified.
Images supplied (The three fallen police officers who died at Hennops River, Centurion).
