Kimberley - A soldier attached to 3SAI in Kimberley, Sizwe Dyanose, 43, was shot and killed during a shoot-out with Roodepan police at his home on Monday night. Two female police constables were also injured during the incident.
According to witnesses, the incident followed a domestic dispute between Dyanose and his wife.
The police were called by the couple’s children and the shoot-out apparently erupted after Dyanose opened fire on the officers.
Residents and neighbours, who gathered in the street to witness the drama, expressed their shock and disbelief.
According to witnesses at the scene, the police were alerted to a domestic dispute by the couple’s two children.
“The children ran to call the police after a fight broke out between the couple. The children usually summonsed the police when things got heated between their parents. I don’t think they thought that this time it would end like this,” said one witness.
One of the neighbours alleged that Dyanose regularly abused his wife.
“He was a very friendly person when he was sober... very helpful. However, his whole personality changed whenever he got drunk. We would talk to him and advise him to change his ways when he was sober, but to no avail,” said the neighbour.
Another resident said Dyanose warned the police when they arrived at the house that he was armed.
“He was standing at the gate and he shouted at the police not to come into the yard because he was armed. The police then shouted at him to freeze but it seems as if he responded by opening fire and shooting at them. A shoot-out ensued and approximately nine shots were fired,” he said.
Another resident said they saw the deceased and several bullet casings when they peeped over the fence at the back of the house.
“He was lying on his stomach. There was a lot of blood coming from his head and there were empty casings all around him. I got a huge fright when I saw him and wished I hadn’t gone to look,” he said.
Some residents questioned the manner in which the incident happened.
“I don’t think they should have shot him dead, no matter what happened between him and his wife. They should have just injured him, not killed him,” one resident said.
Another resident also said the police could have handled the matter in a better way.
“The police should have tried other means of intervention besides shooting him. The way this happened is just not right because shooting someone should be the last resort in solving a problem.”
Two female constables were also shot during the incident, one in the leg and the other in the shoulder.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesman, Moses Dlamini, said the directorate was investigating the matter.
“It is alleged that a shooting occurred at 40 Owl Crescent, Roodepan, on Monday night between 7pm and 8pm following a domestic violence complaint. The deceased allegedly opened fire on the police and one police officer was shot in the shoulder and another was shot in the upper leg,” Dlamini said.
“The members of the SAPS called for backup and the Flying Squad responded and the deceased was shot in the head. The deceased was found with a 9mm pistol. The investigation is underway and in its early stages. No arrest has been made,”
MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Martha Bartlett, on Tuesday paid a visit to the family and conveyed her condolences.
“This is a very unfortunate incident. I also rushed to see what was happening on the night as my house is close by. I felt like I could not just sit behind closed doors while there was a commotion outside,” she said.
Bartlett said when she heard the shots she did not think it might be a shooting.
“I heard the noise but I thought it was children playing with crackers or something. It is very heartbreaking that this took place especially since there are young children who are affected by this. We will, as the department, give our support to the family,” she said.
The provincial Department of Social Development said they will assist the family to work through the trauma.
Departmental spokesman, Vuyani Mhlauli, said social workers were assisting the family.
“As the department, we especially focus on the wellbeing of children and there are children involved in this incident. We realised that, based on the report by the social workers, there is a need to appoint a psychologist to work with the family. This (the incident) will have an impact on the children if they don’t get the necessary help to deal with traumatic experiences and we want to curb that,” Mhlauli said.
Neighbours said they could not believe that Dyanose was dead.
“I saw him earlier in the day. The people around here gave him the nickname ‘Tomorrow’ because some of the young children would ask money from him and he would always reply by saying ‘I will give you some tomorrow’... whenever they asked, he would say ‘tomorrow’. Now Tomorrow is gone,” she said.
The family of the deceased declined to comment.
Diamond Fields Advertiser