North West police to pay tribute to officer who drowned during suspect chase

Central SA

─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 07:03 Sat, 12 Sep 2026

Const. Gift Mota. Photo: SAPS

The police will on Sunday (13/9) pay homage to one of its members who died in the line of duty during the 2025/2026 financial year.

The provincial commissioner of North West, Lt. Gen. Arthur Adams, will host the Annual Provincial Commemoration Service to honour and remember police officers who died during the financial year.

The province will commemorate the life of Const. Gift Mota, 25, of Phokeng Crime Prevention, said North West police spokesperson Col. Adéle Myburgh. The Commemoration Service will be officiated by the MEC for community safety and transport management, Mme Tsotso Tlhapi.

Mota, who was originally from Ermelo in Mpumalanga, was stationed at the Visible Policing Crime Prevention Unit in Phokeng after being transferred there in November. He was on patrol with fellow officers when they were approached by a resident who claimed to have spotted a suspect linked to robberies and burglaries.

The officers accompanied the resident to the Masosobane and Raffredy sections, a bushy area near a dam. Upon spotting the suspect, police gave chase. The suspect allegedly ran into the dam and, during the pursuit, Mota entered the water. He disappeared while swimming after the suspect, said Myburgh.

The police diving unit was immediately activated and later recovered Mota’s body from the dam shortly after the incident. An inquest docket has been opened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.