Bodies of missing Free State cops positively identified, confirms top cop

JOHANNESBURG - National Police commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that three of the missing Free State cops are among five bodies recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion.

Masemola briefed the media on the N1 highway, where the officers are believed to have plummeted into the raging river last week.

"I don't bare good news this evening. We had hoped to find our three police officers safe and unharmed. Unfortunately this is not the case. It is with deep sorrow that I confirm our three members have been found together with two other bodies. One being an administration clerk, or a gardener from Lyttleton Police Station. On Monday, our investigation and the search lead us to Hennops River - where we are standing now, with the assistance of our drones, the cyber crime unit, the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation], the crime intelligence, counter intelligence, the Gauteng traffic airwing."

He also weighed in on the vehicle the officers, saying it has not been found.

"We found pieces of vehicle parts believed to be of a Volkswagen Polo, along the N1. Just where we were now, next to the bridge. And we started searching the river, and still yesterday [Monday] we found a Renault Cango panel van. 

Last Wednesday, constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Keamogetswe Buys (30) and Boipelo Senoge (24) went missing after travelling from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo.

Their family members made their way to the N1 highway after the Masemola's briefing.

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