Husband held after wife shot dead in police charge office

A new wife trying to obtain a domestic violence protection order was shot dead in a Mthatha police station charge office, allegedly by her husband.

Members of the public and police dived for cover when the husband, a security guard at a private company, allegedly stormed into the Madeira police station and fired several shots at the woman, 28, on Monday afternoon.

Protek Security Systems confirmed the man, 42,  was an employee of the firm.

The suspect is believed to have followed her into the charge office, according to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana.

Kinana said according to preliminary reports the victim had gone to the police station to report domestic violence.

“While she was busy reporting this to the officer at the community service centre, the husband entered the station and, without saying anything, [allegedly] started shooting at the wife, who succumbed to her injuries,” he said.

“The suspect is alleged to have attempted to escape after [allegedly] committing this crime, but was chased and arrested by the police.”

A firearm was confiscated and will be sent to the forensic laboratory for ballistic testing, Kinana said.

A murder case had been opened, with the suspect expected to appear in the Mthatha magistrate’s court once he has been formally charged.

Eastern Cape police  commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga condemned the incident as unwarranted and devastating.

A furious Ntshinga said that the victim had allegedly been followed all the way to the police station demonstrated a premeditated onslaught.

“This is very sad and unfortunate. I am, however, delighted at the rapid move by the police to arrest the suspect. Acts of gender-based violence and femicide cannot be forgiven.

“The suspect must face the law and answer for his actions.”

The victim is believed to have married the suspect in July and was still wearing her makoti attire, including a black doek and amadaki, when she was killed at around lunchtime on Monday.

Xoliswa Mqolo and Nothobile Bam, who were at the station for other services, said the victim was inside being assisted by an officer when the suspect rushed in.

“As he came inside, I heard about five or six shots. People who were inside ran outside.

“People were running in all directions,” Mqolo said.

Bam said she had seen the suspect get out of a van.

“I thought something had happened to him as I saw him pulling and pushing back his firearm. He passed me at the gate and went inside.

“Shortly afterwards I heard gunshots and ran away.”

Songezo Sanazo, from Lujecweni village in Ngqeleni, said he had gone to the station to certify documents.

“I was busy having my documents certified when I heard some gunshots. I heard the first one and I thought it was not something serious. But I had to run for cover and hide behind the wall when I heard the second one, the third and fourth while other people were running away from the yard screaming.

“We were all terrified,” he said.

He told a Dispatch team that visited the police station that he had seen a man carrying a gun rush inside the charge office before shots were fired.

The Dispatch saw two ambulances arrive at the scene along with a number of Protek vehicles.

The Madeira station, in one of the busiest streets of Mthatha, has been closed since, with the public told to go to other police stations for assistance.

Protek branch manager Julie Davis said they were extremely shocked by the incident.

She confirmed that the suspect was employed by their company.

Chrislynn Moonieyan, who manages the women’s shelter for Masimanyane Women’s Rights International, described the incident as awful.

She said the issue of domestic violence was complex. She said though police often followed procedure when dealing with such cases, the entire justice system was failing victims as the perpetrators often got off lightly.

“Just the mindset to go to a police station and use a weapon — it shows the impunity and misogyny that women have to deal with at the hands of perpetrators.”

She argued that even protection orders had done little to keep perpetrators of violence against women away from their victims.

Some perpetrators ripped up protection orders in front of their victims, she said, and sometimes police failed to act and arrest those violating protection orders.

“Our hearts go out to the family of the woman who has been killed. We need to come together, all of us, and fight the scourge.”

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