CCTV clues and tracking signals: Timeline of events leading to Free State cops Hennops river tragedy
Eyewitness News has gained insight into a timeline of events that led to that suspected fatal crash of three Free State cops whose bodies were found in the Hennops River in Centurion this week.
The cops are captured on CCTV footage at Engen Grasmere, in the Lenasia area
Eyewitness News has gained insight into a timeline of events that led to that suspected fatal crash of three Free State cops whose bodies were found in the Hennops River in Centurion this week.
The trio, two females and a male, 24-year-old Constable Cebekhulu Linda (male), 30-year-old Constable Keamogetswe Buys (female) and 20-year-old Constable Boipelo Senoge (female) were travelling in a white VW polo sedan (Reg: JCL401FS) from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo when they went missing.
Chain of events
Just before 7pm - Constable Cebekhulu Linda, a member of crime intelligence in the Free State, picks up Constable Boipelo Senoge, a member of VISPOL, from her home in Morakiele Street in Mangaung. Linda uses his private vehicle to fetch Senoge.
The two were allegedly romantically involved. Senoge was not part of the deployment to Polokwane but accompanied Linda and Buys given her relationship with Linda.
Just before 10pm Linda fetches Buys from her home in Turflaagte 2 in Bloemfontein using the state vehicle, white VW Polo (Reg: JCL401FS).
At about 22:10 the trio make a brief stop at the Engen Heidedal in Bloemfontein.
Three hours later, now the morning of Friday April 25th, they are captured passing the Barrage area - which borders the Free State and Gauteng, heading towards Johannesburg on the N1.
25 minutes later they stop at Engen Grasmere, in the Lenasia area. Here they are captured on CCTV footage. Buys can be seen stepping out from the driver’s side of the vehicle. She puts on her hoodie before presumably heading into the store.
They refuel and pay before departing a few minutes later. It is raining heavily, from what is observed in the footage. This is the last known footage of Buys and the vehicle the trio were traveling in.
They then proceed to pass three e-toll gantries.
Just before 2am they are tracked passing the King Fischer e-toll and the Owl e-toll gantry on the N1 towards Joburg.
At about 2am Buys messages her husband - it is the last communication she has with him.
Their vehicle tracker signal was last picked up a few minutes later near Shell Ultra City in Midrand.
It is within this vicinity that all three of their cell phone signals are lost as well as that of the vehicle tracking signal.
They are believed to have crashed into the Hennops River about 10km from the Shell Ultra City on the N1.
On Monday, Search and rescue divers find the bodies of two males - one body is located in a vehicle, a silver Renault Kangoo panel van found about seven meters under water in the Hennops River.
The vehicle owner was identified as an SAPS employee from Lyttleton police station.
Another body of a male is found - he is wearing red pants - similar to what Linda was wearing on the morning they went missing.
That evening a security guard at a nearby golf estate sees a body floating in the river. The body of a female, with a white Apple watch on her wrist is retrieved. The watch is similar to the one worn by Senoge on the day she went missing.
Yesterday (Tuesday) morning police attended to what they believed was the crash scene along the N1 highway just before the Hennops River bridge.
VW Polo vehicle parts were located at this area - leading them to suspect the vehicle plummeted into the river at this location.
According to sources, the river was flowing rapidly on the morning the officers were driving.
On Tuesday afternoon the body of Buys was recovered under a bridge in Blackwood Street in Centurion - less than a kilometer from where Senoge’s body was found on Monday night.
All three officers' bodies were positively identified Tuesday afternoon by family members.
Police have cautioned the public from creating a false narrative about what may have happened to the cops who died after their vehicle suspectedly crashed into the Hennops River in centurion.
During a briefing on Wednesday, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu conveyed his condolences to the families of the officers and requested the public be sensitive.
“Although free to express themselves, have compassion and sympathy on this sensitive matter and not create wrong impressions of what has happened and replace facts with speculation.”
Police are still searching for the VW Polo the members were travelling in.