THE late Detective Constable Cassandra Hove, who was fatally shot during a gunfight with armed robbers in Bulawayo’s Pumula South suburb last Thursday, was laid to rest yesterday at her rural home in Mataruse Village, Mberengwa District, Midlands Province.

However, her burial was overshadowed by controversy as her family continues to question how she was killed.
During her funeral service at a funeral parlour in Bulawayo on Sunday, emotions ran high as family members confronted the police, accusing them of concealing the truth.

They alleged that Hove was not killed by the robbers but rather by one of her colleagues and demanded clarification on whether this was an accident or intentional.

Relatives and mourners at a funeral service for the late female detective, Constable Cassandra Hove in Bulawayo.

According to official police reports, Hove sustained gunshot wounds to her upper body during an exchange of fire with the suspects at around 8.40PM. She was rushed to a nearby private clinic where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The family demanded to know the identities of the officers deployed in the Pumula South raid and the individual who authorised Hove’s post-mortem, arguing that they were not involved in the process and were shocked to learn that someone else had signed documents at the hospital as Hove’s next of kin.

The family said it was not satisfied with the version of events given by the police and vowed to pursue the matter until the culprits were brought to justice.

Family spokesperson Mr Ryan Gambinga confirmed Hove’s burial yesterday.

“She has been laid to rest in Mataruse Village in Mberengwa today,” he said.

Mr Gambinga could not be drawn into divulging further information about the burial proceedings.

He said the family was deeply troubled and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.

Hove’s death came at a tragic time, as she had recently secured a scholarship to study forensic investigations in Russia.

She is survived by four children.