KEY POINTS
- According to X users there exists long-term damage on a barrier near Hennops River which marks the discovery site of police officer remains.
- Law enforcement officials recovered three SAPS officers and two other victims from the crime scene where a police vehicle has completely vanished.
- The authorities state that drawing any conclusions requires finding the missing Volkswagen Polo.
User @Mnca_mnce of X (formerly Twitter) published a viral post about the N1 bridge steel barrier at Hennops River which stood damaged for multiple months even before three SAPS officers died there.
Through images from Google Maps the user argued foul activity by showing pictures that displayed ongoing damage at the location before the police deaths.
An online discussion erupted after a user posted that the three police officers did not perish from an accidental cause. A small group of users agreed with the argument as multiple other users argued against its validity.
There is a possibility the damage shown on the images might represent an old occurrence according to @Ndlombango. The social media user @Vhonan1M indicated that “people who have the appropriate qualifications for investigation should handle it.”
Background: officers’ disappearance and search
On their way from Bloemfontein to Limpopo, Constables Keamogetswe Buys (30), Boipelo Senoge (24), and Cebekhulu Linda (24) disappeared at Grasmere Toll Plaza petrol station. The equipment used to track the officers’ phone and vehicle communication linked to their phones as well as their communication devices stopped working at that time.
The extend search between Gauteng and Limpopo along with Free State culminated in discovery of possible car wreck debris located at Centurion’s Hennops River near John Vorster Drive.
Missing officers’ deaths, bodies found, vehicle missing
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola verified five deceased individuals which included the three constables together with an SAPS administrative clerk and a security official. Air support together with drone technology helped authorities discover vehicle parts at the spot where the barrier exhibited damage.
During the search operations the remains of Constable Buys were discovered last while no one has located the service vehicle which was a VW Polo.
At this point the SAPS prefers not to make any assumptions about missing officers’ deaths according to Masemola. The investigation team will expose all relevant information after recovering the missing vehicle.
Expert input: public infrastructure and accountability
From the perspective of Dr. Thami Maseko who works as safety analyst for transportation the damaged guardrails represent critical public threats therefore immediate repair efforts are essential. Public safety along with public trust suffer jeopardies due to the neglect of security barriers which primarily affects critical areas.
He stated the ongoing infrastructure neglect problem will create opportunities for people to spread false information or conspiracy theories within intense investigations like this one.
