A Bulawayo police officer faces murder charges after a shocking incident that claimed the life of detective Cassandra Hove during a suspected armed robbery investigation. Nomore Muradzikwa, 37, from Hillside Police Station, appeared before Magistrate Maxwell Ncube without entering a plea and was remanded in custody until April 1.
Prosecutor Nkanyezi Xaba detailed a tragic sequence of events involving Muradzikwa and Hove tracking a potential suspect named Fikile Ncube. During a confrontation near Prophet Ngwenya's property, Muradzikwa fired at Ncube, striking his left elbow. The bullet ricocheted, hitting Hove once in the left breast and fatally wounding her.
Hove's family expressed deep frustration with police procedures, criticizing the department's communication and investigation timeline. Abias Hove, her brother, questioned why it took two weeks to bring a suspect to court and highlighted the family's lingering uncertainties about the circumstances of her death.
The case took additional twists as Ncube, the initial shooting target, disputed claims of being an armed robber. His friends argued he had traveled to Bulawayo to care for his ill mother and was receiving treatment from the local prophet. At the time of the shooting, Ncube was reportedly participating in a ritual involving smashing bottles filled with prayer water.
Hove, a member of the elite all-women CID unit Lozikeyi and mother of four, was buried in her rural home of Mberengwa. Ncube received medical treatment at Mpilo Central Hospital before being transferred to Khami Prison under police guard.
Prosecutor Nkanyezi Xaba detailed a tragic sequence of events involving Muradzikwa and Hove tracking a potential suspect named Fikile Ncube. During a confrontation near Prophet Ngwenya's property, Muradzikwa fired at Ncube, striking his left elbow. The bullet ricocheted, hitting Hove once in the left breast and fatally wounding her.
Hove's family expressed deep frustration with police procedures, criticizing the department's communication and investigation timeline. Abias Hove, her brother, questioned why it took two weeks to bring a suspect to court and highlighted the family's lingering uncertainties about the circumstances of her death.
The case took additional twists as Ncube, the initial shooting target, disputed claims of being an armed robber. His friends argued he had traveled to Bulawayo to care for his ill mother and was receiving treatment from the local prophet. At the time of the shooting, Ncube was reportedly participating in a ritual involving smashing bottles filled with prayer water.
Hove, a member of the elite all-women CID unit Lozikeyi and mother of four, was buried in her rural home of Mberengwa. Ncube received medical treatment at Mpilo Central Hospital before being transferred to Khami Prison under police guard.
