Mother of cop killed in Hwedza slams police for being ill-equipped

The grieving mother of Hwedza Police Officer-in-Charge Maxwell Hove who was killed by rogue ex-cop Jaison Muvhevhi, said her son couldn’t defend himself during the shootout because he was in a battered police car whose doors could not open and was using an old gun issued during the Ian Smith era which subsequently jammed on the fateful day.

Muvhevhi, a former Criminal Investigations Department officer, also killed one Crispen Mubvana Kanerusine (62) of Zinzombe Village, Hwedza and Munashe Majanhi (20) of Majanhi Village, Hwedza. They were all buried yesterday (Thursday).

The murder suspect, Muvhevhi, is now in police custody facing three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. He will be charged with a fourth murder over an incident last year during which he allegedly shot a man in Harare after a gold deal went sour.

Hove’s mother who was speaking at the burial of her son who was killed in the line of duty by Muvhevhi, told police deputy Commissioner-General Lorraine Chipato that her son died because he was in a battered police car whose door wouldn’t open and that the police gun wouldn’t cock.

“I have this to say to you ma’am. Ndiri Mai vari bereaved vakazara neshungu pamoyo. Forgive me but you have to listen to me. Ndineshungu, kuti Mwana wangu paWedza apo ari mu station vehicle yepolice wonzi door rakaramba kuvhurika…

“Unozoti saMai kuda dei yakazaruka zvimwe. Vanoti dai kufunga kwebenzi but ndozvandiri kufunga ma’am. Dai station vehicle yanga isina kufa, inemadoor atinotarisira dai pamwe. Chechipiri, kuverenga, hamusati mandirondedzera. Ndinohwa kuti pfuti yakanjema.

“ZRP inodavo kupiwa state of the art guns kwete dzaIan Smith. Tinoda maguns ekuti kana mupurusa akaibata anonzwa kuti akashonga. (My son died because he was in a battered police car whose door wouldn’t open and that the police gun wouldn’t cock),” she said, much to the praise of the mourners.

Translated:

“I am a bereaved mother with a lot of hurt in my heart; I heard that the door of your (Zimbabwe Republic Police) station vehicle failed to open during the scuffle that ensued in Wedza,” she said.

“As a mother I ask myself if he could have survived if the door had opened. Surely a whole ZRP using a vehicle whose doors jam. I have also read that his gun jammed, why do you not give them proper guns not the ones used during Ian Smith’s era.

“Probably if my son was not using such guns my son would have survived. Give the police proper guns. Probably if he was using proper equipment my son would be here, I would probably be able to pass greetings to him each morning, whether sick at home or in a hospital.”

A parliamentary portfolio committee last year in March concluded that “the majority of challenges faced by the ZRP are a result of under-funding and delayed release of funds by treasury.

“The ZRP requires about 7,000 vehicles to function efficiently but it currently has 2,167 and only 807 of those were on the road,” read the report presented to Parliament.

Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono a passionate anti-corruption advocate commented on the issue, tweeting;

“The mother of slain Hwedza Police officer in charge accused the ZRP of giving her son a battered car whose door wouldn’t open, and an old gun which failed to cock.

“The very things we say daily about the consequences of corruption and looting of public funds whilst underfunding public services like the police,” Chin’ono said.