Special forces on trial

2026-08-09

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South African police detective Frans Mathipa told his boss he feared that he would be killed by the country’s military. Two days later he was found shot dead in his car by the side of a motorway.At the time of his death, Mathipa had been investigating whether special forces soldiers were behind the disappearance of Abdella Abadigga, a suspected member of so-called Islamic State or ISIS, and his bodyguard. So was Mathipa killed, as his colleagues believe, because of fears about what his investigation t...

South African police detective Frans Mathipa told his boss he feared that he would be killed by the country’s military. Two days later he was found shot dead in his car by the side of a motorway.

At the time of his death, Mathipa had been investigating whether special forces soldiers were behind the disappearance of Abdella Abadigga, a suspected member of so-called Islamic State or ISIS, and his bodyguard. So was Mathipa killed, as his colleagues believe, because of fears about what his investigation threatened to reveal?

Dino Mahtani and Yeshiel Panchia investigate an extraordinary case that sets one arm of the South African state against another.

Presenter: Dino Mahtani Producer: Ed Main Executive editors: Nick Norman-Butler and Andy Bell Editor: Rebecca Henschke Studio manager: Sam Dickinson

Archive: SABC and Facebook

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