Two suspects, aged 36 and 51, were arrested on Sunday, 22 June 2025, at OR Tambo International Airport and in Centurion, Pretoria.
Hawks Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo said the arrests were effected by members of the Johannesburg-based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Headquarters Serious Organised Crime Investigation, and Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS).
The arrests are linked to the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa, who was fatally shot while driving on the N1 highway near Hammanskraal on 06 August 2023. Following the shooting, his vehicle lost control and veered into a ditch.
Lieutenant Colonel Mathipa, who was attached to the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State section within the Serious Organised Crime Investigation in Gauteng, was on duty conducting an investigation at the time of his death.
During the operation, police also seized a vehicle belonging to the 36-year-old suspect. The vehicle is alleged to have been used in the kidnapping of two male foreign nationals at a mall in Midrand on 29 December 2022. It has since been impounded for further forensic investigation.
The suspects are expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 23 June 2025, where they will face charges of murder and kidnapping.