Buziwe Nocuze
An off-duty cop was murdered in dramatic circumstances after being ambushed, then chased by a gunman while visiting his ex-girlfriend in Khayelitsha on Tuesday.
Kefuwe Qakoshe, 27, was in his car in the Makhaza section of the Cape Town township and chatting with his ex-girlfriend when an unknown suspect appeared and began shooting at them.
The officer tried to drive away, but he soon lost control and crashed his car straight into a nearby house. The suspect pursued him and continued shooting, fatally wounding the officer.
The woman whose house was damaged in the car crash had just gone to bed when she heard gunshots outside.
“At the time, it was like they were far from my house,” she said.
After a few minutes, she heard a vehicle running through her kitchen. “I was so shocked to hear the vehicle in my kitchen. As I was still shocked, gunshots went off again and the suspect was shooting the victim.”
Rubble from the crash trapped her inside her home. “My kids sleeping in another room had to jump out the windows. We didn’t see anyone except the dead police officer in my kitchen.”
She said the tragedy happened on the first anniversary of her mother’s death. “I am confused, and I do not know if this means anything or it was just a coincidence, but last year on Women’s Day, I lost my mother at the same time the officer was killed inside my house.”
Sibongile Kolisang, the victim’s sister, was informed about her brother’s death at work. “My brother went out on Tuesday to the garage, never coming back,” she said.
On Wednesday morning, Qakoshe’s family noticed that he hadn’t returned home. His brother visited the police station where Qakoshe worked to find out what had happened.
“My other brother went to his workplace. They informed him that my brother was shot while chatting with a female in Makhaza,” said Kolisang.
The family doesn’t believe that the shooting had anything to do with his status as a police officer but was related to his ex-girlfriend whom he was visiting when he was attacked.
“I will miss him as the gentle soul and a lovely person who had respect for everyone,” Kolisang said.
Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said the matter is under investigation.
