The murder of Hawks Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa has taken a dramatic turn after a BBC World Service investigation alleged that members of South Africa’s special forces may have been involved in his killing while he was investigating a sensitive abduction and murder case.
Mathipa, a senior detective in the Hawks, was shot dead in August 2023 after spending months trying to obtain information linked to the investigation, according to the BBC. The broadcaster reported that prosecutors have charged seven special forces members and one military police officer with his murder. All of the accused deny the charges, and no trial date has yet been set.
The BBC said it had obtained access to hundreds of pages of police and court documents, as well as interviews with investigators, former Hawks officials, Mathipa’s commanding officer and members of his family.
According to the broadcaster, the prosecution case includes evidence that a vehicle allegedly linked to a special forces front company was following Mathipa shortly before he was killed. The BBC reported that tracking data placed that vehicle at the scene of the shooting, while one of the men allegedly connected to it had also been linked to an earlier abduction investigation that Mathipa had been pursuing.
At the centre of the case is the alleged disappearance of Ethiopian national Abdella Abadigga, whom former Hawks officials told the BBC had been used as an intelligence asset before allegedly going missing in late 2022. The broadcaster reported that Mathipa had been investigating claims that military personnel were involved in Abadigga’s abduction and presumed killing.
According to the BBC, surveillance footage, vehicle registration records and court filings are among the material being relied on by prosecutors. The broadcaster also reported that several of the accused were initially granted bail, but that some later failed to comply with court orders requiring them to return to custody.
The South African military did not respond to questions from the BBC about the allegations, while President Cyril Ramaphosa declined to comment on several matters relating to the investigation, according to the broadcaster.
Mathipa’s family told the British broadcaster that they believe he was targeted because of his work as a Hawks investigator, while former colleagues described him as a dedicated detective who had been pursuing a politically and institutionally sensitive investigation.
The allegations contained in the BBC investigation have not yet been tested in court, and the accused remain presumed innocent until proven guilty.
