National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola says the car in which three police constables were travelling when they disappeared last week may have capsized before hitting the barrier on the side of the road, landing inside the Hennops River in Centurion.
The car was retrieved from the river in Tshwane just after 2pm on Thursday, more than two hours after it was located.
This is just a few days after rescuers found the bodies of constables Cebekhulu Linda, 24, Boipelo Senoge, 24, and Keamogetswe Buys, 30, in the river along the N1 highway.
The trio were travelling from their homes in Bloemfontein, Free State, to Limpopo when they went missing last week.
Speaking at the scene where search and rescue teams retrieved the vehicle, Masemola said experts will now investigate exactly how the vehicle ended up in the river.
"We are going to undertake an investigation of the car so that we can come to a conclusion to what exactly happened ... but from the look of the eyes, you can see that the car looks like it capsized first before it impacted on the wall, including the barrier on the site.
We are grateful to those that have utilised their skills and talents to go down there to retrieve the car and the bodies. We remain indebted to them.
— Gen Fannie Masemola
"At this stage, it looks like an accident until we finalise the forensic investigation," Masemola said.
A white handbag, an identity document, a vehicle service book and keys were some of the things that were found inside the wrecked white VW Polo.
It took a lot of manpower from the various search and rescue teams and a heavy-duty tow truck to lift the vehicle out of the river.
When asked about progress in regard to the autopsies, Masemola said it was still part of the investigations but for now, there was nothing "sinister" that they had seen.
"Of course, there are injuries, but the doctors will tell us exactly [what happened] when they finalise their autopsies."
Masemola thanked the teams that were involved in the operation, saying "we can be relieved that we have recovered almost everything that was outstanding".
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi described the recovery of the vehicle as a "sad chapter".
"We are grateful to those that have utilised their skills and talents to go down there to retrieve the car and the bodies. We remain indebted to them."
Senoge's father Paul said the family was trying to deal with the situation. "I really had future high hopes for my daughter, and now I can't even pray," he said.
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