Two suspects, both members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), have been arrested in connection with the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa, a decorated Hawks investigator who was fatally shot in a drive-by on the N1 near Hammanskraal on 06 August 2023.
The arrests were made on Sunday, 22 June 2025, at OR Tambo International Airport and in Centurion, Pretoria, respectively.
The suspects, aged 36 and 51, were apprehended by members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, along with the Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS).
Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa (53), a veteran officer with 31 years of service in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), was attached to the Crimes Against the State Unit within the Gauteng Serious Organised Crime Investigation division.
On the day of the incident, Mathipa was reportedly on duty, investigating sensitive state-related crimes, when he was ambushed on the N1 highway near the Hammanskraal Toll Plaza.
He sustained gunshot wounds to the head during the attack, lost control of his vehicle, and crashed into a ditch. He was declared dead on the scene.
At the time of his murder, Mathipa was handling several high-profile investigations, including a major electricity voucher fraud syndicate that defrauded Eskom of millions.
The case, which concluded in December 2016, saw four individuals convicted on 16,451 counts of racketeering, electricity theft, and theft of Credit Dispensing Units (CDUs).
As part of Sunday’s arrest operation, authorities also seized a vehicle linked to the 36-year-old suspect.
The vehicle is alleged to have been used in the kidnapping of two foreign nationals at a Midrand mall on 29 December 2022. The vehicle has 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.
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