A policeman was gunned down in front of the gate at his home in KwaMabefu township near Qonce on Saturday night.
Warrant Officer Mzimkhulu Macala, 58, was attached to the stock theft and endangered species unit.
Macala’s neighbour, Ntombiyomzi Ntshantshi, recalled hearing a gunshot.
“In my shock, I said to the children they should check what it was. One child said they saw nothing.
“I thought maybe being a police officer he was shooting at something.”
Macala’s elder brother, who lives at the back of the home, also heard the gunshot and thought someone was shooting at his dogs.
“Another child then saw Mzimkhulu laying on the ground bleeding and came to my house crying to tell me what he saw.”
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union provincial secretary Xolani Prusentu said: “Attacks on police should be treated as treason and sentencing for police killers should be harsh to send a strong message to the perpetrators.”
The motive for the killing is unknown and the case has been referred to the Hawks for further investigation.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene said the attack on a police member was an attack on the authority of the state, and would never be tolerated.
Macala’s wife, Nomakhaya, said: “He was everything to me and our family.
“He was the pillar of the household ... this is very painful.
“He was going home after being at a traditional ceremony in a nearby house.
“I received a call telling me he was shot,” Nomakhaya, who had been in Ginsberg for the day, said.
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