Durban - A rifle, a pistol and a shotgun were used to inflict at least fifteen wounds, some fatal, into the body of acting Ndwedwe police station commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Jabulani Ndawonde on Monday night.
The crime scene resembled a battlefield with twenty three cartridges from the rifle, thirteen from the pistol and two from the perpetrators' shotgun.
Ndawonde, 56, who was on his way home in a state vehicle, was allegedly followed by four men who ambushed him near Bhamshela taxi rank near KwaMaphumulo.
The Sunday Tribune has learned from sources that Ndawonde’s murder could be a revenge attack for the murder of five men, which happened a week ago in the area.
A source alleged that the men, who were mostly vagrants, belonged to a rival drug gang and they were killed not too far from where Ndawonde was killed.
A relative of one of the deceased allegedly vowed that Ndawonde would pay for the murders, claiming that he was either involved or was in full knowledge of the plan to kill the five men.
Following the murder, provincial police activated a 72-hour turn around strategy to identify and apprehend the perpetrators but no arrests have been made.
Zinhle Ndawonde, the deceased's sister, said the family learned of the shooting from neighbours who had been near the crime scene. She said the week had been difficult but planning the funeral had kept them all busy.
“It still feels like a bad dream that we will awake from, but we believe that the perpetrators will be apprehended,” she said.
Zinhle described her brother as very strict and said most family members feared him because he was a no nonsense person.
“He loved soccer and cared about the community. He made friends easily because people trusted him.”
Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the Ndwedwe police station on Thursday and the Ndawonde household.
“We went to the crime scene where he was shot. One thing for sure, somebody wanted him dead and there was more than 15 bullets that hit his body,” he said.
“They clearly followed him and shot him while he was in motion. The question that we need to find out as the police is, why?”
Cele was concerned over the increasing number of police murders, naming KZN and the Western Cape as the most hostile provinces towards the police.
“Police killings are a real worry. We gave you national statistics of the first three months of this year. From January to March and 24 police were killed. Between April and May 16 have been killed.
“It is a real war against the police that is why we are making this call to say be on the side of the police and not lambaste them when it is not necessary.”
Cele said 17 police officers were killed in KZN and of those, only three were off duty .
He said he did not condone the “bad apples” (making reference to the corrupt officers) within the force and appealed for the notion that his members were killed because they were on the wrong side of the law to be dismissed.
“Every house will have a rotten apple but it does not mean that the house itself is rotten. We have too many good police and a few bad police but unfortunately, those that are bad smell more than those that are rosy and good. We want police that are good to be given honour and those that are bad to be lambasted.”
Ndawonde was laid to rest on Saturday during a state funeral.
He leaves behind his wife and five children.
Sunday Tribune