Shocked widows demand justice after husbands gunned down in midnight police raids

Two Eastern Cape widows are demanding justice after their husbands were gunned down by police in midnight raids on their homes.

Zolile Cina, 42, was killed at Lower Tyirha’s Ndakeni kaXhokolo near Qumbu in the early hours of Wednesday last week and Mncedisi Zide, 76, was killed at Mpafana village in Mthatha early on Friday.

Both men died in a hail of bullets in full view of their wives and children.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) confirmed the two killings were under investigation, but claimed in both cases police said they had retaliated after being attacked first.

Ipid said three officers were injured during the raids. Two were hacked with an axe and another was shot in the knee.

Sanelise Cina said she was asleep with their three children, aged 3-11, two girls and boy. Her husband was asleep on another bed in the same room. At about 12.30am on Wednesday they were woken by banging on the door. This was followed by gunshots.

Sanelise said she saw about 10 police officers wearing black balaclavas “with long guns” shooting at her husband of 14 years.

“I screamed. I asked them why they were killing us.”

The woman said she pleaded with them to take her injured husband to hospital.

“I saw him taking his last breath.” 

Sanelise said police told her they were looking for illegal firearms.

“They say they knew he brought firearms from Marikana mines in Rustenburg where he worked.

“My husband has one licensed 9mm pistol. He could have given it to them, and the licence."

She said they took his gun but left behind the licence.

Sanelise believe the officers wanted her husband dead.

“In his bed we counted 29 bullet holes, 22 in the wall inside the bedroom and four on door.

“How can you fire so many bullets at a sleeping man, in the comfort of his home, in front of his wife and children? The body was not allowed to be seen by the family.”

Betty Zide said her husband heard a commotion at about 2am on Friday and thought the family was under attack by livestock thieves.

“My husband woke up and armed himself with an axe and stood behind the door. There was shooting as they kicked opened the door.

“As a gunman wearing a black balaclava entered, my husband in self-defence hacked him on the head with the axe amid continuous shooting.”

Betty said it was only after her husband of 53 years was lying in a pool of blood that they revealed themselves to be police officers looking for guns.

“A ceiling in our bedroom was ripped open, but no guns were found. If he had a gun, he could have used it, not an axe.

“He has no gun,” the shocked and grieving widow said.

Betty said her husband’s killing was gruesome.

“They shattered his head with their big guns. Why such a large contingent of police armed to teeth to kill us?

“As trained policemen they could have treated the whole matter professionally instead of killing a frail 76-year-old, someone who had only an axe to protect himself, his wife, his grandchildren and his livestock.”

She said police had searched their home on June 17 during the day, but found no guns.

Ipid spokesperson Ndileka Cola said in both cases police claimed they were attacked first and forced to retaliate.

In Zide’s case, she said police claimed they “were following information on an allegation of possession of an illegal firearm”. 

“It is alleged they knocked and a certain girl opened the door. One policeman entered the house and was attacked with an axe on the head by a male who was hiding behind the door.

“Another policeman tried to protect his colleague, but his firearm locked and he too was attacked with an axe.

“He then used a rifle, which fatally wounded the deceased. Both policemen were injured,” Cola said.

In Cina’s case, police said they were “following information that the deceased had a firearm”.

“As the police arrived at his homestead at night, they knocked. They say the deceased fired shots at the police while still inside the house.

“One policeman was shot in the knee and the police returned fire from outside, fatally wounding the deceased,” Cola said.