Key facts
- Seven members of South Africa's special forces are charged with murder.
- One military police officer is charged with murder.
- The charges are related to the death of Lt Col Frans Mathipa.
- Lt Col Frans Mathipa died in August 2023.
- Mathipa was a senior detective.
- Mathipa was investigating alleged extrajudicial killings by the military.
- Evidence suggests his investigation into an alleged IS militant case led to his killing.
Seven members of South Africa's special forces, along with one military police officer, have been charged with the murder of Lt Col Frans Mathipa. Mathipa was a senior detective who was investigating allegations of extrajudicial killings carried out by the military. The charges stem from an investigation into Mathipa's death, which occurred in August 2023. Preliminary evidence indicates that Mathipa's pursuit of information related to a sensitive case, which involved an alleged IS militant, may have been the motive for his killing. The investigation into his death has now led to these eight arrests and subsequent charges.