Colonel Flip Claassen Retires After 41 Years of Service with Newcastle SAPS

From tracing missing persons to helping unravel a case that would later draw international attention, Newcastle SAPS’s Colonel Flip Claassen has for decades stood as one of the town’s most recognisable and dependable figures in law enforcement.

Now, after 41 years and three months of service, he steps away from the badge, bringing to a close a career shaped not by spectacle, but by discipline, steadiness, and a lasting commitment to the people he served.

Claassen’s journey into policing was not immediate. After finishing school in 1979, he sold newspapers before joining Checkers in 1982, where he worked his way up from casual worker to supervisor. Even then, however, he sensed that his future lay elsewhere.

Speaking with Newcastillian News and recalling that period, he said:

“I worked at Checkers until 1984, and decided to join the South African Police Service on 1 January 1985, as a student at the Virginia SAPS. I then joined the SAPS College in Tshwae on 12 January 1985, staying there until 21 June 1985.”

That first chapter in police training was briefly interrupted by another demanding pursuit that played a formative role in his life: boxing.

As an amateur boxer, Claassen fought 18 bouts, won 10, and finished as runner-up in the SAPS bantamweight championships, while also competing in other tournaments.

The discipline, resilience and mental sharpness demanded in the ring would later echo throughout his years in uniform.

By March 1990, after a brief posting at Utrecht SAPS, Claassen transferred to Newcastle SAPS on 31 March, a move that would anchor the rest of his policing career. It was here that he entrenched himself in both operational and investigative work, building a reputation for reliability and commitment.

Over the years, he also strengthened his expertise through specialised training, including SWAT instruction and DNA buccal testing, ensuring that his skills remained as rigorous as the work before him demanded.

That dedication translated into steady progression through the ranks. He rose from Constable in 1985 to Sergeant in 1989, Lieutenant in 1992, Captain in 1995, Lieutenant Colonel in 2017, and eventually full Colonel in November 2022.

Alongside those promotions came significant leadership responsibilities, including serving as Detective Commander at Newcastle SAPS, Acting District Detective Co-ordinator for Amajuba, Acting District Commissioner for three weeks in 2025, and Acting Station Commander.

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Across a career spanning more than four decades, Claassen handled countless matters, but one case, in particular, remained set apart in his memory: that of Zaheera Boomgaard, also known as the Facebook killer.

Boomgaard became notorious for targeting victims through social media, building trust online before exploiting them, often for financial gain.

Her crimes, marked by calculated cruelty, included the burning of bodies and deliberate attempts to mislead investigators, ultimately drawing widespread attention because of both their brutality and their cross-border dimensions.

One of the most prominent victims linked to the case was Hari Nathvani, a United Kingdom citizen last seen in Newcastle in February 2020.

He was reported missing by his daughter on 7 May 2020 after having travelled to Johannesburg on 22 February 2020. Claassen explained that early enquiries confirmed Nathvani’s departure on an Eagle Liner Bus Service, but establishing what had happened to him would take months of painstaking investigative work.

“Only in August 2020, did we manage to trace the body of Hari Nathvani at Sebokeng mortuary, after another burned-out body of Lynette Mustapha was found in De Deur. Through DNA and dental records, Hari Nathvani was positively identified as my missing person,” he reflected.

Investigators later determined that Nathvani had been murdered on 10 March 2020.

Further evidence also revealed fraudulent transactions carried out using his UK bank card after his death. Connections were later established to the murder of Lynette Mustapha, whose burned body had been discovered in De Deur, strengthening the case against Boomgaard and exposing a wider pattern of criminal activity. She was later arrested, prosecuted and found guilty.

While the matter attracted substantial attention in local media, Claassen noted that interest in the case reached even further.

“Netflix wants to make a documentary as well, but the family in the UK is against it.”

Despite being involved in a case of such prominence, and despite receiving multiple awards over the course of his career, Claassen remained deeply grounded in how he viewed his work.

“It’s not about accolades or promotion, it’s about serving your community with integrity and resilience.”

It is a sentiment that appears to define far more than his outlook alone. It speaks to the way he carried himself throughout his years in service, even when faced with personal challenges of his own.

After being diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis with Osteoporosis, he continued with operational duties, refusing to allow the condition to diminish his commitment to the job.

Now, as he closes this chapter, Claassen’s focus shifts not only toward retirement, but also toward the officers who will continue where he leaves off.

His advice is drawn from long experience and delivered with the same grounded perspective that shaped his career:

“It’s not always about accolades and promotion. Yes, it’s nice to get promoted, but stay humble, treat everyone the same, irrespective of race and gender. Set an example to your community, your fellow officers, members and colleagues. Keep to the basics, you will always succeed, even through difficult times. With perseverance you can and will make it. Most of us don’t like the accountability sessions, to account for performance, but it reminds us that no one is perfect and where we can improve on our shortcomings. As I closed one chapter, a new chapter opens with my family, to spend more time with them,” he said.

In many ways, that message captures the essence of his career more clearly than any title or commendation could.

His legacy is not built only on rank, awards, or the high-profile investigations that brought his name into broader public view. It rests just as much on the quieter and more enduring qualities that often leave the deepest mark: integrity, humility, professionalism, perseverance, and the standard he set for those around him.

As Colonel Flip Claassen steps into retirement, his departure marks more than the end of a long and decorated policing career.

It signals the close of an era within Newcastle SAPS, one defined by consistency, principle, and service carried out without the need for fanfare. While the demands of policing now give way to family life and a different pace, the values that shaped his years in uniform remain firmly attached to the legacy he leaves behind.

For Newcastle, for his colleagues, and for the institution he served for more than four decades, that legacy will not be easily forgotten.

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