Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
THE tragic death of Detective Constable Cassandra Hove, a victim of suspected friendly fire, has been compounded by the deeply affecting words of her ten-year-old daughter.
In a letter that has moved many to tears, the child, grappling with immeasurable loss, penned a message to her mother, an ethereal communication that she hopes would reach her in “Heaven.”
The emotional letter, now in possession of Saturday Chronicle, reveals the depths of her sorrow and the enduring bond between mother and child, highlighting the personal tragedy behind the headlines.
“I didn’t know that this day would come, you posted me on your status saying that you want to see me growing up, please come back to me, I can’t live without you . . . ,” she wrote.
The sheer vulnerability of the child’s letter, read aloud during Hove’s funeral, proved too much for the mourners, who openly wept at her words.
The air grew heavy with unspoken love and emotions as the letter revealed a child’s honesty. It spoke of the games they played, and the memories evoking the warmth and closeness of their relationship.
“. . . We used to play together games such as playing cards. . . I used to get sad and also cry, I love you, mom. The best in the whole world. I want to see you because you made me cry. Rest in peace mum,” she wrote.
Beyond its emotional impact, the letter has also become a focal point, amplifying the family’s insistent demands for a transparent investigation into the precise circumstances surrounding Detective Constable Hove’s death.
The letter’s impact was further evident during her emotional funeral service held at Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour last Sunday, where heightened emotions among mourners and close family members led to verbal confrontations.
They insulted police officers who were present, and the family’s calls for accountability grew stronger, demanding to know whether Detective Constable Hove’s death was an accident or deliberate.
She was shot dead in what police had initially reported to be a shoot-out with armed robbers in Bulawayo’s Pumula South suburb during a covert operation. However, it has since emerged that she was allegedly shot by a colleague and not armed robbers.
According to the police, Detective Constable Hove sustained gunshot wounds to her upper limbs during the exchange of fire with robbers at around 8:40PM on Thursday last week and was rushed to a nearby private clinic, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
It was only following the incident and after her family raised concerns as to how she was killed that the matter raised eyebrows.
The family’s pursuit of the truth intensified, demanding to know the identities of the officers deployed in the Pumula South raid and the individual who authorised Detective Constable Hove’s post-mortem. They stated that they were not involved in the process and were shocked to learn that someone else had signed documents at the hospital as her next of kin.
Detective Constable Hove was 37 at the time of her death and is survived by four children.
Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba has since ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death while assuring the family that no stone will be left unturned, and that justice will be served.
