Seven members of South Africa's special forces and one military police officer have been charged with the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa, a highly respected detective who was investigating allegations of overreach by the country's military. The killing took place in August 2023, and the men deny the charges. However, concerns persist that the trial may never go ahead due to three of the accused refusing to comply with a court order revoking their bail and continuing to work for the special forces. The BBC World Service has been given exclusive access to the prosecution case against all the men, which includes secret police and court documents suggesting that Mathipa was followed and killed by a vehicle registered to a front company for the special forces. The case has caused consternation in South Africa, with fears that the military is significantly overreaching its mandate. The South African army has not responded to questions about their responsibility for Mathipa's death. The detective was investigating an alleged Islamic State militant who had been granted temporary asylum in South Africa but was later arrested abroad and smuggled back into the country by the military and Department of Home Affairs. Mathipa was investigating allegations that special forces went on to abduct and kill this individual, who had "gone rogue" and was extorting money from Johannesburg's Ethiopian neighborhood to fund IS, according to US government claims. The South African army and Department of Home Affairs have not responded to questions about their role in the case.