Johannesburg – Ten additional members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been arrested in connection with the 2023 murder of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa, a senior officer in the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State unit, police confirmed on Monday.
According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo, the suspects voluntarily handed themselves over to investigating officers in Johannesburg on Monday, 23 June 2025.
Mathipa was fatally shot on 6 August 2023 while driving on the N1 highway near Hammanskraal.
Following the gunfire, his vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. He was on official duty at the time of the incident, conducting an investigation for the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation division in Gauteng.
#sapsHAWKS [UPDATE] 10 Additional suspects, were arrested today for murder and kidnapping. This comes after they handed themselves over to the #Hawks investigating officers in Johannesburg.
All ten suspects including the two who were arrested yesterday are expected to appear… https://t.co/AZYSgvQHEG pic.twitter.com/at5NBWjhwX
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) June 23, 2025
The suspects are also believed to be linked to a separate kidnapping case involving two foreign nationals, who were abducted from a mall in Midrand on 29 December 2022.
“All ten suspects, including the two who were arrested yesterday (Sunday), are expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrate’s Court this afternoon,” said Singo.
They face charges of murder and kidnapping.
The latest arrests bring the total number of individuals implicated in the case to 12.
Investigations are ongoing
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
