21 December 2025- The acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia and North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, will visit Kgosi Andrew Nkoana Mogale and Bapo ba Mogale Traditional Council following a spike of illegal mining activities in Bapong village, near Brits on 22 December 2025. The national Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, as well as the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General (Dr) Ryno Naidoo will also be in attendance.
The acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi said, visit forms part of government’s ongoing efforts to find a lasting solution to illegal mining activities in Bapong and surrounding areas by engaging various stakeholders and in this regard, the Bapo Ba Mogale Traditional Council. Mogotsi said to date, 21 illegal miners have been arrested since police started a crackdown on illicit mining operations in the area.
“Heavy machinery has since been seized and removed from the site as police continue to follow all possible leads in identifying the masterminds behind these operations. The visit will be held at Bapo Ba Mogale Royal Palace (R104-Old Pretoria Road) on 22 December 2025, at 10am.
Picture: Three missing police constables found dead
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
30 April 2025- The National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, has confirmed that the bodies found at the Hennops river in Centurion, near the N1 highway in Pretoria, are those of the police constables who went missing last week while enroute to Limpopo. Addressing the media along the N1 in Pretoria on Tuesday, Masemola said the bodies of the three missing constables, Keamogetswe Buys, Boipelo Senoge and Cebekhulu Linda, have been found.
“It is with deep sorrow that I confirm that our three members have been found, together with two other bodies, one being an admin clerk that is attached to our Lyttelton Police Station.
“This as police had earlier reported that the constables went missing on 23 April 2025. The police searched everywhere for our three missing police officers and the high-level team that had been tasked with investigating their disappearance spent sleepless nights combing the length and breadth of Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo,” he said.
Masemola further said following all possible leads and after studying all evidence that they had gathered, their investigation led them to between the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1, past the Buccleuch interchange, onto John Voster drive.
“We had hoped to find our three police officers safe, unharmed and alive, but this is not the case. The two women constables, Buys (30) and Senoge (20) and a male constable Linda (24), were travelling in a white VW Polo sedan from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo when they went missing.
“At the time of their disappearance, the officers were off duty. In a statement on Saturday, the police appealed to members of the public for assistance in finding the missing constables and on Sunday,” said Masemola.
He said the Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya and him, met with the team involved in investigating the officers’ disappearance. Masemola said the police delegation also met the officers’ families at the weekend.
“On Monday, the investigation and search led police to the Hennops River in Centurion. With the assistance of the South African Police Service (SAPS) drone pilots, cybercrime unit, HAWKS, Crime and counter-intelligence unit, SAPS and Gauteng Traffic Airwing, as well as the Bidvest Protea Coin Airwing, the police first found pieces of vehicle parts believed to be of a VW polo along the N1.
“The police were then led to the banks of the river, where they found a Renault Kangoo panel van. Our SAPS and Tshwane divers immediately commenced with the search, where we discovered two bodies, one of the driver of the Renault panel van who it just came to light that he is one of our employees attached to the Lyttelton Police Station and the second body was that of Constable Senoge,” he said.
Masemola said they had to abandon the search as it was already dark. He said in the morning, the third body was discovered, which is believed to be that of Cebekhulu.
“We further found a fourth decomposed body. We are still trying to identify who this person is. Later in the afternoon, we sadly found the fifth body of Buys.
“The families were taken to the mortuary, where they identified the bodies of the officials. We are still searching for the VW Polo and our investigation is continuing,” said Masemola.
He said they do not want to speculate at this stage what led to the discovery of these bodies in this river, whether it was an accident or not, their investigation will reveal those aspects once they find their vehicle. Masemola said they would like to thank the families, and the task team involved in the search for working tirelessly to ensure a breakthrough in this case.
“The police were hoping for a positive outcome in the case. Be that as it may, we are relieved that we could provide the painful closure to the families and the broader SAPS family. Investigations are still continuing into this matter,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, has expressed deep sadness and disbelief following the identification of four bodies of members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), including three officers who went missing for over a week.
Cameron has called for the intensification of the investigation to ascertain the circumstances that led to the death of the officers.
“It is heart-breaking to learn of the death of the SAPS officers when we were all hoping that they might be found alive and well.
“This tragic loss is not only felt by the family but by all within the law enforcement sector as these were committed officers on their way to their assigned duty,” he said.
Cameron also highlighted the need for the SAPS to investigate the cause of death of the other two bodies retrieved in the Hennops River. He said it is unusual that so many unrelated bodies could be found in one area.
“An intensive investigation must get to the bottom of what has happened to all the dead bodies. We also commend SAPS for the speed with which the investigation was undertaken and urged for such speed to be the standard across the board.
“Trust between the SAPS and communities will be re-established if all cases are handled with such compassion, care and diligence,” said Cameron.
He said the SAPS specialised teams, who worked tirelessly over the past six days across several provinces to locate the missing individuals must be commended. Cameron said, however, serious questions remain and they will monitor the progress of the investigation closely.
“The committee extends its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased during this painful time,” he said.
23 April 2025- The African National Congress (ANC) said it has noted the media reports and subsequent confirmation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) regarding an incident involving the convoy of the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). The former liberation movement said it welcomes the assurance by the National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, that the matter is under active investigation by a high-level team, with a completed ballistics report and ongoing threat assessments by Crime Intelligence.
The ANC national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said these efforts affirm the seriousness with which their security agencies protect the national executive and safeguard their democratic institutions. Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC is further reassured by confirmation that both the President and the Deputy President remain under the capable protection of the Presidential Protection Service, with the necessary reinforcements effected.
“We commend the Deputy President for continuing to carry out his duties with calm resolve and steadfast commitment. His poise in the face of this incident is testament to the maturity and discipline required of national leadership.
“The ANC strongly condemns any actions that seek to undermine the security of the leadership or destabilise the constitutional order. We call for calm and vigilance, and reiterate our confidence in the ongoing investigation,” she said.
Bhengu-Motsiri further said they will await its final outcome before offering any further comment.
Meanwhile, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola said he wants to assure the nation that the executive of the country, including the President and the Deputy President, are in safe hands. Masmola said Members of the Presidential Protection Service (PPS), who are assigned to both the President and the Deputy President, are trained to a high level of skill and possess the necessary expertise and capabilities to avert any risk and threat.
“The resources assigned to safeguard the executive are also adequate and designed to prevent any direct and imminent threat on their lives. While it is not common practice to discuss safety and security aspects of the executive, we deem it fit to assure the country that sufficient resources are always assigned to safeguard members of the national executive.
“We confirm a shooting incident involving the Deputy President’s convoy. Following the incident, an extensive investigation was conducted and still underway with the ballistics report already concluded,” he said.
Masemola said crime intelligence is also continuing with its regular risk and threat assessment on both the President and the Deputy President. He confirmed the reinforcement of security detail to both principals and has also expressed gratitude with the manner in which members of the PPS safeguard and handle the safety of both principals.
“The incident remains under investigation with a high level team assigned to investigate this case,” said Masemola.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron said he has sent a letter to the National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, requesting to get an update on the internal investigation following the Judgement of 17 March 2022, by Daniel Thulare that raised serious concerns of possible infiltration of the South African Police Service (SAPS) by gangs in the Western Cape.
Following the assurance made on 1 December 2023 to the 6th Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, the internal investigation has been long standing and assertions made in that judgement have a far reaching impact on the credibility of the SAPS to deal effectively with gang violence in the area.
“The continued violence and murders in the Cape Flats and the lethargic response by the SAPS seem to give credence to the assertions made in the Thulare Judgement. The finalisation of that investigation and the prosecution of officers identified to have worked with the gangs is necessary to curtail the violence in the area.
“There is a concern regarding the continued gang violence in the Cape Flats, where this weekend alone, a number of incidents of murder and attempted murder happened. The continued violence in the Cape Flats requires coordinated, proactive and intelligence led interventions,” he said.
Cameron further said the violence in the Cape Flats this past weekend is symptomatic of the deficiencies within the SAPS operations in the area, which require re-imagination of the interventions to ensure safety and security of the people of the area. He added that it is simply unacceptable and unfair for the people of the Cape Flats that they continue to be subjected to lethargic, haphazard approaches currently followed by the SAPS in the area.
“The finalisation of that investigation will assist to root out rogue elements within the SAPS and give the people hope that operations to deal effectively with gang violence are being implemented.
“There is no single solution to the violence and currently, the SAPS are seemingly operating without a tangible intelligence-led strategy, minimal proactive and limited disruptive and deterrence operations in the area,” said Cameron.
He said that has led to a dangerous environment conducive for criminal activity. According to Cameron, the Thulare Judgement that highlighted the possible infiltration of the SAPS by gangs in the Western Cape, has not been responded to adequately by SAPS management and this directly impacts the morale of the ethical police officers in the area.
“Furthermore, the lack of intelligence operatives undermines the work of the SAPS in the area. As a result, I am of the considered view that an update on the investigation is necessary and that the SAPS management must put plans in place to disrupt the scourge of crime in the area.
“We are also concerned by the brutal killing of six people in Umlazi Township, outside Durban on Saturday. The scourge of murders in the country highlighted the concern with the proliferation of illegal firearms countrywide. The majority of murders are perpetrated using illegal firearms and the SAPS management must intensify operations aimed at removing these firearms from the streets,” he said.
Cameron calls on the SAPS management to intensify investigations to ensure that perpetrators of these heinous crimes are arrested and prosecuted.
The Guardian 