Consts Linda Cebekhulu (24), Keamogetswe Buys (30), and Boipelo Senoge (20) were reported missing on Thursday (24/4) while on their trip from Bloemfontein to Limpopo for deployment. Their disappearance gripped the nation with concern, which turned into sorrow when their bodies were discovered in the Hennops River, Centurion, on Tuesday.

On Sunday (4/5), their families travelled to Pretoria to collect the constables’ bodies from a government mortuary. Before returning to Bloemfontein, they performed traditional rituals at the Hennops River, a poignant spiritual custom to “fetch the spirits” of the departed from where their lives ended.

A memorial service for the fallen constables will take place on Tuesday at 12:00 at Bobbies Park, 2 Hannah Street, Bloemfontein. Provincial police spokesperson Brig. Motantsi Makhele confirmed that each officer will be accorded an official funeral on different days.

Senoge will be laid to rest on Thursday. A service will be held at St Peter Anglican Church in Rocklands, Mangaung, from 08:00 to 11:00, followed by the burial at South Park Cemetery.

Cebekhulu will be buried on Friday (9/5). The funeral will take place in Mangaung from 08:00 to 11:00, with her final resting place at Magengenene Cemetery.

Buys will be laid to rest on Saturday. The funeral service will be from 08:00 to 09:00, with the burial to follow at Thaba Nchu cemeteries. The venue for the service is yet to be confirmed.

Investigations into the mysterious deaths continue. The front portion of the VW Polo the officers had been travelling in was recovered from the Hennops River on Thursday (1/5).

Two days later, police divers found the missing back part of the vehicle in the same river. The vehicle’s chassis number confirmed it as the same car in which the three constables had last been seen.

The back part of the VW Polo the three deceased constables were travelling in, was discovered in the Hennops River. Photo supplied

Despite the tragic recovery of their bodies, many questions remain unanswered. How the vehicle ended up submerged in the river, and the events leading up to the incident are still under police investigation.

National Police Commissioner Gen. Fannie Masemola and Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae have both assured the public that every effort is being made to uncover the truth.

“This is a heartbreaking time for our province and the country,” said Letsoha-Mathae during her visit to the bereaved families, adding they were hopeful the police would determine the cause of the constables’ deaths.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi