Bruce Ndlovu and Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporters
OFFICER Commanding Bulawayo Province, Commissioner Jasper Chizemo and colleagues of Detective Constable Cassandra Hove (37) who was fatally shot on Thursday evening in Pumula South have described her as a courageous officer whose exploits made her one of many pillars of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Homicide Unit’s ground-breaking all feminine Lozikeyi crack crew.
Det Const Hove whose loss of life has despatched shockwaves throughout Zimbabwe’s crime combating ranks, tragically misplaced her life at a neighborhood personal clinic after sustaining gunshot wounds to her higher limbs throughout a police raid within the Habbek space of Pumula South.
Speaking to Sunday News yesterday, the Officer Commanding Bulawayo Province, Comm Chizemo mentioned it was unhappy that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) had misplaced a hardworking officer. He added that no stone could be left unturned within the ongoing seek for her killers.
“We are very saddened by her loss, particularly losing a colleague within the line of duty. The ZRP has lost a hardworking police officer, a female for that matter, who died in the line of duty pursuing robbers who had been committing a spate of robbery cases in the province. We are as the police still determined to account for all the criminals who were involved in the robberies and that of the death of one of our own,” he mentioned.
Det Const Hove was a part of a crew on the path of robbers believed to have been preying on service stations round Bulawayo.
Her deadly capturing left a darkish cloud over Pumula South the place the capturing of an officer of the regulation left strange residents shell-shocked as they took inventory of the stunning occasions from Thursday evening.
For cops who served with Det Const Hove, her capturing was a blow not solely to the pressure however all the nation as Zimbabwe had misplaced an officer whose dedication to crime combating was unquestionable.
One detective who spoke to Sunday News on situation of anonymity mentioned Det Const Hove had distinguished herself as a extremely succesful officer, whose crime-solving abilities had finally led to her advice to the CID. Once there, she grew to become one of many pioneering members of the Lozikeyi unit.
“CID is a very special unit that deals with high-profile criminal cases like murder and armed robberies. For members of the police to be incorporated into the squad, they should not only have passed particular interviews but would have been selected based on their various top-tier exhibitions in the execution of duties,” mentioned the supply.
Fearlessness and bravado have been two qualities that made Det Const Hove a useful member of the pressure, the supply revealed.
“Detective Constable Hove is one of the officers who exhibited brilliance while in her previous station, particularly bravery. She had just been recently deployed into the CID Homicide squad where she also became one of the founding members of the Queen Lozikeyi group,” mentioned the supply.
Another detective who spoke on situation of anonymity additionally revealed that Det Const Hove was an mental titan who typically inspired her colleagues to pursue their tutorial desires.
According to the supply, the robust however soft-spoken crime fighter had just lately graduated with a level in forensic accounting from a neighborhood establishment of upper studying.
“She always encouraged members to study and led by example as she recently graduated. She was very soft-spoken but was tough when it came to her execution of duties. The role that she played is not for the faint of heart and for her to take up this challenging role shows how brave she was and above all, her dedication towards fighting crime,” mentioned the supply.
Away from the skilled ranks, the killing of Det Const Hove struck a tragic chord with Zimbabweans on social media, as footage and movies of the late officer have been met with an outpouring of sympathy and grief.
One TikTok video particularly, wherein the late detective captured herself and her 4 kids consuming out at a quick meals outlet whereas John Chibadura Junior’s Vana Vangu Junior performed within the background, introduced emotional reactions from many social media customers throughout varied platforms.
In the track, the musician asks God to grant him lengthy life so he can see his kids get older.