Cape Town - Friends and colleagues of slain police officer Sergeant Silulami Qagana gathered at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court for his memorial service on Thursday.
Qagana was shot and killed in Khayelitsha near his Site C home while he was off duty and standing with his friend Masixole Noncuncu, 33, in Solomon Tshuku Street on Saturday evening.
A leaked police report held that the deceased officer, who was dressed in civilian clothes, was stationed at Cape Town Central SAPS, at the magistrate’s court.
He was walking from home to a nearby spaza shop to buy cigarettes when he met a group of local men and talked to them.
“They were standing in front of a house in Solomon Tshuku Street, Site C. A known police official in the vicinity came running towards them, telling them he was being chased,” read the report.
Minutes later, Qagana and his friend were shot.
He was rushed to Mitchells Plain Melomed, where he was declared dead on arrival, while his friend was transported to Khayelitsha Day Hospital, where he died.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said Khayelitsha SAPS had opened a double murder case.
“Both succumbed to gunshot wounds to their bodies in hospital. The motive for these killings is subject to ongoing investigation,” said Pojie.
The Qagana family and his colleagues gathered inside the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court and filled the corridors yesterday.
They sang gospel songs as they celebrated his life.
The sergeant’s brother, Mthunzi Qagana, described the officer as a doting father.
“He had a wife and two children, a boy, 7, and a 5-year-old daughter.
“He loved his family, especially his kids. He didn’t allow any bad thing to come close to them. He protected them.”
He said they were shocked to learn about the shooting.
“A lot of people in the community would go to him and ask for assistance. He was always full of jokes, life, a very friendly man and approachable. He was the glue to our family.
“We were very close, he was respectful. This was a shock not only to us but to the entire community. He looked after our family; we thought he would grow old in the force.”
The officer had been married since 2016.
“He had always wanted to be a police officer. As a child he would play cops and robbers and always played the police part, even using a jawbone as a gun.
“He joined the force in 2007, started as a constable at Cape Town Central, until he was made a sergeant and he then moved to the court.”
