Buziwe Nocuze
From the day Sergeant Sindile Godfrey Daniels was shot and killed in a state vehicle, his family knew his colleagues were not telling the truth.
Their suspicions were confirmed when Sergeant Daniels’s female colleague was arrested and charged with his murder on Tuesday.
Sergeant Daniels, who became a police officer in 2005 and had only got married the week before he was killed, was working at the Mount Road police Anti-Gang Unit.
Daniels was shot inside a state vehicle on 17 June while on patrol with colleagues in the KwaDwesi area.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela explained that Daniels was on patrol with his two female colleagues.
All three members are reported to have left the vehicle to search the men but found nothing on them.
“As they drove away from the scene, the driver noticed that the police member at the back was not looking well. The member told his colleagues he wasn’t well and his stomach was hurting,” Mgolodela said.
However, it soon dawned on them what had actually transpired.
“They then realised he had been shot and immediately rushed him to Mercantile Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.”
During the investigation, firearms of the two female officers were taken for ballistic testing and one of them was a match for the firearm that fired the fatal bullet that killed Daniels.
Daniels’s cousin, Zuke Daniels, told Scrolla.Africa that from the beginning they were suspicious of the circumstances leading to his death. He said they even told the investigating officers to ignore the other cops’ statements.
“We need answers and hope the suspect will tell us why he killed him,” Zuke said.
Zuke said Daniels had only been married for a week when he was murdered.
“It’s sad that his wife only spent a week with him before he was killed by someone he probably trusted,” Zuke said, describing the victim as someone who respected and loved everyone.
“He played a huge role in our family, and he didn’t deserve to die like that.” Daniels was buried last Saturday at his home in Dyamala Village in Alice.
The 31-year-old suspect will appear at New Brighton Magistrate court soon.
