A tragic shooting incident during a covert police operation in Bulawayo led to the death of Detective Constable Cassandra Hove, a court heard yesterday.
The fatal incident occurred when a bullet fired during an attempt to apprehend a suspected armed robber ricocheted and struck her in the chest.
The undercover operation took place earlier this month in Pumula South suburb, and the case has since garnered widespread attention due to unexpected developments.
Detective Nomore Muradzikwa, 37, stationed at Hillside Police Station, allegedly admitted to being responsible for the fatal shot.
Appearing before Magistrate Maxwell Ncube in Bulawayo, Muradzikwa faced murder charges but was not required to enter a plea.
He was remanded in custody until April 1, with the option to seek bail through the High Court. Representing him in the case is lawyer Tinashe Tashaya from Sengweni Legal Services, while the State’s case is being handled by prosecutor Nkanyezi Xaba.
Court documents outline that on March 6, Muradzikwa and Hove were part of a team tasked with capturing armed robbery suspects in Pumula South.
During the operation, Muradzikwa, armed with a CZ pistol, reportedly fired at Fikile Ncube, a 26-year-old suspect residing in Pumula South. The shot struck Ncube’s left elbow before ricocheting and hitting Hove in the chest, leading to her death.
Muradzikwa, who reportedly remained emotionless throughout the proceedings, was brought to court under police escort. The hearing took place in the afternoon following his morning arrival with detectives from CID Homicide.
Family members of the late detective expressed frustration upon learning about Muradzikwa’s alleged confession through social media rather than being informed by the police.
Her brother, Abias Hove, voiced his disappointment, stating that the family should have been formally notified so they could attend the court session and understand the sequence of events leading to her death.
“It is upsetting that we found out about this online instead of hearing it directly from the authorities,” said Mr Hove. “There are many unanswered questions. Why did it take two weeks for this confession? What were the police doing in the meantime?”
Detective Cassandra Hove, 37, was a distinguished member of Bulawayo’s elite all-female CID unit, Team Lozikeyi.
She is survived by four children and was laid to rest in her rural home in Mataruse Village, Mberengwa District, Midlands Province.
The incident occurred around 8:40 p.m. in Pumula South’s Habbek area, where Hove and her colleagues were reportedly tracking suspects linked to multiple armed robberies.
