The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that a case of defeating the ends of justice has been opened against an individual in Cape Town who falsely claimed on social media to have seen the missing white VW Polo driven by three deceased police constables.
“We call for responsible social reporting,” SAPS national spokesperson Brig. Athlenda Mathe said on Thursday during a media briefing at the Hennops River in Centurion.
“We picked up a case on social media where an individual in Cape Town claims he saw this particular vehicle in the river.”
Her remarks came shortly before police recovered the white VW Polo from the river.
Inside the vehicle, authorities found a white handbag, an identity document, a vehicle service book and a set of keys.
“We have registered a case of defeating the ends of justice. We are searching for this particular person because he is misleading the investigations,” Mathe said.
“We are calling on South Africans to really use social media responsibly, and to report on facts.”
The discovery of the vehicle follows the recovery of the bodies of Constables Cebekhulu Linda, 24, Boipelo Senoge, 24, and Keamogetswe Buys, 30, a few days earlier in the same river near the N1 highway.
The three officers had been travelling from their homes in Bloemfontein, Free State, to Limpopo when they went missing last week.
Speaking at the scene, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the car may have capsized before hitting a roadside barrier and landing in the river.
“We are going to undertake an investigation of the car so that we can come to a conclusion as to what exactly happened,” Masemola said.
“But from the look of the eyes, you can see that the car looks like it capsized first before it impacted the wall, including the barrier on the site.”
Masemola emphasised that, for now, the incident appears to be an “accident,” pending a forensic investigation.
Asked about the status of the autopsies, Masemola said it remains part of the ongoing investigation but indicated that no foul play is suspected at this stage.
“Of course, there are injuries, but the doctors will tell us exactly (what happened) when they finalise their autopsies,” he said.
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