Hennops River: Cultural expert says uncollected spirits of crash victims could cause more crashes
Families of the three deceased SAPS constables collected the bodies in Pretoria, went to Hennops River to perform rituals, before departing for Free State on Sunday morning.
Image: Screengrab/SABC
Families of three Free State police constables whose bodies were recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion, Gauteng, on Sunday gathered at the river to perform rituals before heading home with the bodies.
The victims — Constable Keamogetswe Buys, 30, Constable Boipelo Senoge, 20, and Constable Cebekhulu Linda, 24 — were reported missing for over five days before their bodies were recovered in the raging river.
The trio was last seen in the early hours of April 24, 2025, at a petrol station near the Grasmere Toll Plaza. They were travelling in a white Volkswagen Polo hatchback, en route to Limpopo from the Free State.
IOL reported that a collective memorial service will be held on Tuesday, May 6, with individual funeral services planned for each constable.
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Speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, renowned cultural expert, Professor Musa Xulu said it is strongly believed that if spirits of deceased accident victims remain uncollected, the results would be catastrophic.
“Previously, I advised (then) minister of transport Sibusiso Ndebele and also KwaZulu Natal MEC of Transport Sibusiso Duma on the issues of where do souls go, in terms of car accidents.
“As I said, the soul is believed to not go very far from the accident scene. When the soul thinks the living of the family are not paying attention to it, it becomes angry, and the belief system is that it then causes even more accidents. The soul is a spirit, it can enter a moving car and direct the driver to make mistakes,” Xulu told the news station.
The bodies of constables Boipelo Senoge, 24, Cebekhulu Linda, 24 and Keamogetswe Buys, 30, were retrieved from the Hennops River in Centurion.
Image: SAPS
He pointed out that in many countries, including the United States, relatives put roadside memorial sites to mark the spot where a person died on the road.
Across South Africa, such sites are also commonplace next to busy freeways, marked with different items including crosses and memorabilia of the deceased.
Xulu said it is believed that failure to do such observations are devastating.
“The families go there to mark the site where the person died. The reason is that if the soul is not paid attention to, it can get angry and start the process of causing even more accidents. It is a belief system, it is not scientific,” said Xulu.
“Beliefs are beliefs, when they manifest, they are usually very devastating.”
National police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola said it looks like the VW Polo overturned first, before it impacted on the road barrier on the N1, and the car eventually went into the water.
Image: SAPS
Following their disappearance, SAPS launched a large-scale search operation involving police divers, drones, and rescue teams. The operation focused on the N1 highway, nearby waterways, and the Hennops River, where their bodies were later discovered.
The vehicle was retrieved on Thursday, confirming it was the same Volkswagen Polo the officers had been travelling in.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL