By Everson Luhanga
- Search and rescue divers found vehicle bumpers and a police jacket in the Hennops River near Pretoria.
- A metal object possibly linked to the missing VW Polo was also felt 4km from the N1 highway.
Search and rescue teams have found car parts and a police reflector jacket in the Hennops River in Centurion, Pretoria, in a case that continues to puzzle police and the public.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that search teams discovered a front and rear bumper. Experts are now working to find out if the car parts belong to the missing VW Polo that three police officers were driving.
Brigadier Mathe said all three families have been told about this development.
“A police reflector jacket belonging to one of the deceased officers was also found,” said Mathe. She added that divers had felt a large metal object under the water about 4km from the N1 highway. The object is still hidden by debris, so it hasn’t been confirmed if it’s the missing vehicle.
The search operation includes SAPS divers, City of Tshwane divers and EMS, the SAPS Special Task Force, and Search and Rescue South Africa. Private security companies such as Fidelity Secure Fire and Vision Tactical are also involved, along with the Lyttleton Community Police Forum and the SAPS cyber crime unit.
Earlier this week, the bodies of the three constables who disappeared more than a week ago were recovered from the river.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the team is still looking for the missing car. He told reporters at the scene that they could not say yet whether the officers were targeted.
“We are still searching for the VW Polo and our investigation is continuing,” said Masemola. “We do not want to speculate at this stage what led to the discovery of these bodies in the river, whether it was an accident or not. Our investigation will reveal those aspects once we find their vehicle.”
Pictured above: Police search the Hennops River for a missing car.
Image source: National SAPS
