Cops Cheer Police Senior Manager Death
The killing of a controversial Durban metro police
senior manager triggered widespread celebrations, with some describing it as
“good riddance”.
Innocent
Chamane, the support services manager, was gunned down as he arrived home in
KwaNgcolosi, near Hillcrest, on Tuesday evening.
While some celebrated, privately and
on social media platforms, others reacted with shock and horror.
The Mercury spoke to a number of officers in the unit and most “welcomed” the death. Over the past few years Chamane was viewed as the unit’s “public enemy number one”.
The municipality issued a statement
on Wednesday sending condolences to Chamane’s family. It did not contain any
details except to confirm the murder and that “circumstances surrounding the
incident are unknown” and were being investigated.
The metro policeman added that
Chamane’s “brazen” attitude “affected metro police
tremendously. Dictatorship was
imposed, aligned to politics”.
A second policeman, who also asked
for his identity to be withheld, was scathing in his criticism. He accused
Chamane of “putting people in hospital, abusing dogs and horses (in the dog and
mounted patrol units) without consequences”.
“He stopped a salary of one member
for 12 months and the member lost his wife until a new HR manager intervened.
The member’s fault was refusing redeployment to another department,” he said.
When The Mercury arrived at Chamane’s
home on Wednesday, several cars were parked in the yard, while an unidentified
woman sobbed uncontrollably at the corner of the house. A young woman who had
been consoling her went to sit a few metres away and broke into tears.
