The police retrieved the VW Polo on 1 May, following the recovery of five bodies, including those of three constables, in Centurion's Hennops River this week. The investigation is still under way, but early indicators suggest the officers were involved in a traffic accident.

On Thursday, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed that a VW Polo recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion on Thursday was the car in which three SA Police Service (SAPS) constables had been travelling before their bodies were found in the river this week.

The bodies of Linda Cebekhulu (24), Boipelo Senoge (20) and Keamogetswe Buys (30) were among five bodies found in the Hennops River on Tuesday and Wednesday after the police launched a search for the constables, who went missing on 24 April while travelling from Free State to Limpopo.

Police investigations led to the discovery of the bodies alongside a damaged guardrail and vehicle parts suggesting a possible accident. On Thursday, the VW Polo was recovered after water levels dropped and debris in the river was cleared.

"We are going to undertake an investigation of the car so that we can come to a conclusion as to what exactly happened," said...