Missing police VW Polo recovered from Hennops River

After days of intensive search and rescue efforts, the missing VW Polo vehicle has been retrieved from the Hennops River, where the bodies of five people, including three police officers and a Saps groundsman stationed at the Lyttelton police station, were discovered this week. 

National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed the vehicle's retrieval on Thursday.

"I can confirm that the search team retrieved a car wreck from the Hennops River this afternoon. Items, including a handbag, were found inside the vehicle.

“Since then, five bodies and car parts have been recovered along the river as the police continue their investigation into what may have happened."

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola expressed his condolences and hope for closure.

"The retrieval of the vehicle and bodies will bring some measure of closure to the families of the fallen officers and our colleagues. It has been a long and difficult process, but we hope this will help us determine what happened on that tragic day."

Mathe indicated that multiple specialised units, including SAPS drone teams, cybercrime experts, the Hawks, Gauteng Traffic Airwing, and Bidvest Protea Coin Airwing, are supporting the investigation.

Meanwhile, in Bloemfontein, a prayer session has been organised to offer comfort and solidarity to the bereaved families and police personnel. 

Masemola emphasised that investigations are still ongoing, and that they are working diligently to uncover the full story behind the officers’ cause of deaths. 

No official cause has yet been determined, and the police urged the public to remain patient as they piece together the events leading up to the tragedy.

The police officers were last seen at a petrol station near the Grasmere Toll Plaza in the morning of April 24, 2025.

They were travelling in a Volkswagen Polo when they went missing.

Following their disappearance, authorities launched a large-scale search operation involving police divers, drone units, and rescue teams.

For over a week, investigators scoured the N1 highway, surrounding waterways, and the Hennops River to locate the vehicle and those onboard.

The bodies of the officers - 30-year-old Keamogetswe Buys, 20-year-old Boipelo Senoge, and 24-year-old Cebekhulu Linda - were retrieved from the river after they were reported missing for over five days.

On Wednesday, police confirmed that the parts of the missing VW Polo had been located in the Hennops River. 

Cape Times