October 28, 2025
Frans Mathipa murder | Open Secrets investigators probe Lt Col. Mathipa’s murder – SABC News
The Randburg Magistrate’s Court recently released 12 members of the SANDF on 10-thousand rands bail each after they were accused of murder and kindnapping charges. This relates to the murder of the Hawks investigator Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa in August 2023 and the kidnapping of two Ethiopian nationals — Abdella Hussein Abadiga and Kadir Jemal Abotese — in December 2022. The case has yet again raised questions about the country’s safety and security methods. Open Secrets, a non-profit organisation, has been investigating and documenting the case. We invited the SANDF, but they sent us the following reply: “Due to the matter being before court, we therefore cannot participate in any discussion regarding it until the due process of the legal processes have been complete”. This morning, we are joined by Open Secrets Director, Hennie van Vuuren, for an update on their findings so far.
