2 SANDF members arrested in connection with 2023 murder of Hawks officer

JOHANNESBURG - Two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members have been arrested in connection with the murder of Hawks senior officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Frans Mathipa.

Mathipa was attached to the directorate's crimes against the state unit.

The duo, aged 36 and 56, was nabbed during a joint operation at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.

The suspects linked to the murder of Mathipa were taken into custody on Sunday. 

Authorities also seized a vehicle linked to the 36-year-old suspect, which is believed to have been used in the kidnapping of two foreign nationals at a Midrand mall in December 2022.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mathipa was shot and killed in August 2023 while driving on the N1 near Hammanskraal.

Following the shooting, his vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a ditch.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrates Court on Monday on charges of murder and kidnapping.