Special forces charged in murder of detective probing Islamic State-linked abduction

Eight individuals, comprising seven members of South Africa’s special forces and one military police officer, have been charged with the murder of Lt Col Frans Mathipa, a senior detective with the elite police unit known as The Hawks. Mathipa was shot dead while driving on a motorway outside Pretoria in August 2023, shortly after securing access to critical information regarding the abduction of Abdella Abadigga, an Ethiopian national linked to Islamic State activities.

Prosecution evidence, shared with the BBC, establishes a direct link between the accused and the crime through vehicle registration data and tracking information. Police documents indicate that the vehicle trailing Mathipa immediately before his shooting was registered to Peters Communications Trust, a front company for the special forces. Tracking data recovered from this vehicle places it at the scene of the shooting, while one of its occupants was identified as Maj Sunnybooi Wambi, who was also spotted at the Mall of Africa during Abadigga’s alleged abduction.

Mathipa was investigating the disappearance of Abadigga, who vanished in December 2022. Abadigga had been granted temporary asylum in South Africa in 2008 but was later designated by the US government as an Islamic State recruiter and fundraiser. Court documents show that after Abadigga’s abduction, his mobile phone connected to a mast near a military base, and police sources claim it was used to call a number in Somalia. Abadigga’s body has never been found.

The investigation has been marked by significant obstruction and threats. Police documents allege that special forces issued a warning to The Hawks after Mathipa’s death, stating: “You can appoint 10 investigating officers; we will kill all of them.” Twelve military personnel have been arrested in total in connection with the cases, including Brig Gen Solomon Lechoenyo, the current head of special forces, who was promoted after the investigation began.

The trial proceedings have been delayed as three of the accused, who were ordered to surrender after their bail was revoked, have refused to comply and remain at large. These individuals continue to serve in the army’s special forces, with one having been promoted since the charges were laid. No trial date has been scheduled, raising concerns within South Africa’s democratic institutions regarding the extent of military overreach and accountability.

The South African army and the Department of Home Affairs have not responded to inquiries regarding their roles in the case or the alleged facilitation of Abadigga’s return to the country. Mathipa’s family and former colleagues maintain that he was targeted for pursuing the truth, with his daughter Basetsana calling for justice for a father who was “doing his job.”