12 SANDF members appear in court for murder of Hawks officer

JOHANNESBURG - Twelve National Defence Force members have been arrested and appeared in court in a breakthrough investigation linked to the brazen murder of a Hawks official.

Frans Mathipa was shot in August 2023 while driving on the N1 highway near Hammanskraal north of Pretoria.

Two of the soldiers were arrested on Sunday, and ten others handed themselves in on Monday before appearing in the Randburg Magistrate's Court.

Mathipa was attached to the Crimes Against the State (CATS) in the Hawks at the time of his murder.

He was also investigating the abduction of two foreign nationals from the Mall of Africa in Midrand in December 2022.

The state has linked the 12 SANDF members to this abduction, which happened in broad daylight.

"They are facing charges of murder, kidnapping, theft of motor vehicle, and obstructing the ends of justice," said Hawks spokesperson Christopher Singo.

The accused are expected back in court next week for a bail application.