Ten additional SANDF officials arrested for murder and kidnapping
Twelve SANDF officials face murder charges in connection with Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa's death.
Image: File / African News Agency (ANA)
Ten additional South African National Defence Force (SANDF) officials were arrested on murder and kidnapping charges linked to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa and the kidnapping of two male foreign nationals in 2022.
This brings the total number of suspects arrested to 12.
Two SANDF soldiers aged 36 and 51 years, were arrested on June 22 at the OR Tambo International Airport and in Centurion, Pretoria, respectively in connection with the same charges.
Lieutenant Colonel Mathipa, a senior member of the Hawks' Crimes Against the State unit, was fatally shot while driving on the N1 highway near Hammanskraal on August 6, 2023.
At the time of his death, he was on duty conducting an investigation. The suspects are believed to have been involved in the shooting, which caused Mathipa's vehicle to lose control and veer into a ditch.
A vehicle belonging to a 36-year-old suspect was seized during the operation and impounded for forensic investigation, as it was allegedly linked to the 2022 kidnapping of two male foreign nationals at a Midrand mall.
The suspects are also linked to a case of kidnapping of two male foreign nationals at a mall in Midrand on December 29, 2022.
All 12 suspects are expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Monday, June 23, 2025, where they will face charges of murder and kidnapping.