{"id":78964,"date":"2025-04-29T15:38:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T13:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?p=78964"},"modified":"2025-04-29T18:58:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T16:58:31","slug":"five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/","title":{"rendered":"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a new turn of events in the case of the missing police officers from Bloemfontein, police in Gauteng have found the bodies of the three Free State police officers in the Hennops River in Centurion next to the N1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Fannie Masemola, said in a news release this afternoon that the police had hoped to find the three police officers safe, unharmed and alive, but this is not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brigadier Athlenda Mathe from the national SAPS communications office, confirmed this morning that the police were searching the Hennops River near Centurion after the last sighting of the three police officers that were traveling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"78966\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/20250429_135605\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20250429_135605\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605-1024x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78966\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250429_135605.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The missing police officers are from the top left, Keamogetswe Buys, Boipelo Senoge and Cebekhulu Linda. Photo: Facebook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The missing members, Constables Cebekhulu Linda (24), Keamogetswe Buys (30), and Boipelo Senoge (20), were last seen alive on Wednesday, 23 April, at the Engen garage near the Grasmere Toll Plaza along the N1 in Gauteng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It is with deep sorrow that I confirm that our three members have been found, together with two other bodies, one being an admin clerk that is attached to our Lyttleton police station,&#8221; said Masemola today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trio, who was off duty at the time, were travelling in a white VW Polo sedan from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo when they disappeared. Their vehicle tracking system and cellphones have been unreachable since their last known location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The SAPS launched a full-scale high-level investigation and search operation trying to find the police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We first found pieces of vehicle &#8211; parts believed to be of a VW Polo along the N1, that led us to the banks of the river where we found a Renault Kangoo panel van,&#8221; Masemola said.\u00a0 &#8220;Our SAPS and Tshwane divers immediately commenced with the search, where we discovered two bodies, one of the driver of the Renault panel van who it is just came to light that he is one of our employees attached to the Lyttleton Police Station and the second body was that of Constable Senoge. We had to abandon the search as it was already dark,&#8221; he said about the search on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This morning, the third body was discovered which is believed to be that of Constable Linda. We further found a fourth decomposed body, we are still trying to identify who this person is. Later this afternoon, we sadly found the fifth body of Constable Buys.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Masemola said the families were taken to the mortuary where they have identified the bodies of their children and loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that the police would not like to speculate what led to the discovery of the bodies in this river, whether it was an accident or not. The police is still looking for the VW Polo in which the officers were travelling to Limpopo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This is not how we expected this case to unfold, we were hoping for a positive outcome. We are relieved that we could provide the painful closure to the families and the broader SAPS family&#8221;, Masemola said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said the investigation into the incident is continuing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five bodies found in Hennops River near Centurion in search for missing police officers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":78967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"51","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7970","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":{"origin":"three-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers","target":"five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers","type":301,"format":"plain"},"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7970],"tags":[91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-78964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New developments in the case of police officers missing from Bloemfontein. Their three bodies were found in Hennops River.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New developments in the case of police officers missing from Bloemfontein. Their three bodies were found in Hennops River.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-29T13:38:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-29T16:58:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lientjie Mentz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lientjie Mentz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lientjie Mentz\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a335935c67a53aa66488f11429c10643\"},\"headline\":\"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-29T13:38:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-29T16:58:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":541,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_1829.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/\",\"name\":\"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_1829.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-29T13:38:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-29T16:58:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"New developments in the case of police officers missing from Bloemfontein. Their three bodies were found in Hennops River.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_1829.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/IMG_1829.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Polisielede wat vermis is en wie se liggame vermoedelik gevind is.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a335935c67a53aa66488f11429c10643\",\"name\":\"Lientjie Mentz\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lientjie Mentz\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/lientjie-mentz\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State | Vista","description":"New developments in the case of police officers missing from Bloemfontein. Their three bodies were found in Hennops River.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State","og_description":"New developments in the case of police officers missing from Bloemfontein. Their three bodies were found in Hennops River.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2025-04-29T13:38:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-29T16:58:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lientjie Mentz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lientjie Mentz","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/"},"author":{"name":"Lientjie Mentz","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/a335935c67a53aa66488f11429c10643"},"headline":"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State","datePublished":"2025-04-29T13:38:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-29T16:58:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/"},"wordCount":541,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg","keywords":["Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/","name":"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-29T13:38:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-29T16:58:31+00:00","description":"New developments in the case of police officers missing from Bloemfontein. Their three bodies were found in Hennops River.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Polisielede wat vermis is en wie se liggame vermoedelik gevind is."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/five-bodies-recovered-in-case-of-missing-police-officers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Five bodies recovered in case of missing police officers from the Free State"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/a335935c67a53aa66488f11429c10643","name":"Lientjie Mentz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lientjie Mentz"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/lientjie-mentz\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_1829.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":298644,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/two-men-aged-42-and-46-have-been-arrested-on-the-r82-near-kragbron-after-police-intercepted-a-grey-gwm-bakkie-believed-to-have-been-stolen-in-bloemfontein\/","url_meta":{"origin":78964,"position":0},"title":"Two arrested with suspected stolen bakkie from Bloemfontein","author":"Vista","date":"3 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two men aged 42 and 46 have been arrested on the R82 near Kragbron after police intercepted a grey GWM bakkie believed to have been stolen in Bloemfontein.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Crime&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Crime","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/crime\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Police officers display the grey GWM bakkie recovered near Kragbron after a swift intelligence-driven operation led to the arrest of two suspects on the R82.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GRAY-GWM-stolen-bakkie-found.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GRAY-GWM-stolen-bakkie-found.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GRAY-GWM-stolen-bakkie-found.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GRAY-GWM-stolen-bakkie-found.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GRAY-GWM-stolen-bakkie-found.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GRAY-GWM-stolen-bakkie-found.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":295413,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/fallen-free-state-police-officers-honoured-in-special-ceremony\/","url_meta":{"origin":78964,"position":1},"title":"Fallen Free State police officers honoured in special ceremony","author":"Lientjie Mentz","date":"22 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Police officers who died in the line of duty since 2020 were honored at a memorial service in Bloemfontein on 21 December.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Special ceremony for fallen police officers in Free State.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wallreg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wallreg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wallreg.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wallreg.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":298564,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/preller-square-opens-for-trading-after-explosion-in-woolworths\/","url_meta":{"origin":78964,"position":2},"title":"Preller Square opens for trading after explosion in Woolworths","author":"Teboho Setena","date":"29 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Business trading is back on track at Preller Square Shopping Centre after it was temporarily cordoned off following an explosion.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Police maintain presence at the Preller Square Shopping Centre after alleged Bomb threat","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Preller-Square-Shopping-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Preller-Square-Shopping-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Preller-Square-Shopping-scaled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Preller-Square-Shopping-scaled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Preller-Square-Shopping-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Preller-Square-Shopping-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":298963,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/attack-by-community-members-during-police-drug-bust-condemned\/","url_meta":{"origin":78964,"position":3},"title":"Mob turns on police, dogs released, stones fly, backup called in during drug bust","author":"Lientjie Mentz","date":"17 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Suspects arrested when Anti-Gang Unit drug bust in Joe Slovo turned violent when community members attacked police officials and vehicles.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Drug bust in Joe Slovo, Mangaung.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/crime.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/crime.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/crime.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":294904,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/sharp-spike-in-theft-of-gate-motors-in-bloemfontein-as-syndicate-targets-high-end-items\/","url_meta":{"origin":78964,"position":4},"title":"Sharp spike in theft of gate motors in Bloemfontein as syndicate targets high-end items","author":"Teboho Setena","date":"28 November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Syndicate target gate motors in Bloemfontein","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Centurion-made-gate-motor.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Centurion-made-gate-motor.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Centurion-made-gate-motor.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Centurion-made-gate-motor.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Centurion-made-gate-motor.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Centurion-made-gate-motor.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":297652,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/cop-killer-gets-three-life-sentences\/","url_meta":{"origin":78964,"position":5},"title":"Cop killer gets three life sentences and additional 15 years","author":"Vista","date":"30 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Free State High Court in Welkom sentenced the Mozambican national Frimino David Matola (55) to three liefe sentences and an additional 15 yearsafter he was convicted on 23 April on multiple charges.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"NovaNews Stock Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CRIME_SQUARE-2-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CRIME_SQUARE-2-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CRIME_SQUARE-2-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"BloemNuus","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/bloemnuus.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78964"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=78964"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=78964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}