How are we going to continue with our studies?: slain police captain’s children mourn their father

“What about the others? Is it only my father who died? Seeing that our father is no more, how are we going to continue with our studies?”

These were among the heartbreaking questions asked by police captain Zamani Mzayiya’s children after learning that their father had been killed in the line of duty.

Mzayiya, 50, died in a shoot-out in Knysna last week, just five days after returning from another dangerous police operation in Robertson, where officers were involved in a shoot-out with Cornelius van Dalen, who had allegedly terrorised the area for years.

Speaking on behalf of the family at Mzayiya’s memorial service in Cape Town on Wednesday, Bandile Tyhalidikazi said the family’s wounds were deep.

“What happened to the Bejula clan is devastating. Zamani was a young man, but at 50 he is no more. He perished doing the work he loved most, where he dedicated his life to serving the nation,” he said.

Tyhalidikazi said one of the most painful moments for the family was having to identify Mzayiya’s body.

That is what comforts us as a family, because that man is no more as well, though that won’t bring our brother back.

—  Bandile Tyhalidikazi

“As a family, it was painful when we went to identify his body. He has left behind five children. When we were travelling to the southern Cape, his twins asked a pertinent question: ‘Seeing that our father is no more, how are we going to continue with our studies?’”

The family assured the children that their father had died doing the work he had dedicated his life to.

But in a chilling coincidence, Mzayiya had apparently spoken to his wife about his own death only days earlier.

Tyhalidikazi said that after returning from the Robertson deployment, Mzayiya told his wife that should he be deployed again and fail to return home, she should allow the state to bury him.

“It was a matter of five days. What he conveyed to his wife ultimately came to pass. We are devastated by the manner in which he died,” he said.

On the morning of his death, Mzayiya had also changed his profile picture to an image of himself holding a sword, Tyhalidikazi said.

He said Mzayiya was shot in the thigh before another bullet struck him in the heart.

The family took some comfort from knowing that the man suspected of killing Mzayiya had also died during the shoot-out.

“That is what comforts us as a family, because that man is no more as well, though that won’t bring our brother back,” Tyhalidikazi said.

He said Mzayiya remained committed to policing despite the dangers he faced. When questioned by his older brother about worsening crime and the risks of his work, Mzayiya had insisted that police could not surrender the country to criminals.

“Are we then handing the country over to the criminals?” Tyhalidikazi recalled him saying. “I like what I am doing.”

Western Cape MEC for police oversight and community safety Anroux Marais, who attended the memorial service, said Mzayiya died doing exactly what police officers were called upon to do, confronting those who threatened communities.

“His death is a painful reminder that policing is not simply a profession; it is a calling that can demand the highest possible price,” Marais said.

“Our police officers walk towards danger when others are running away from it. They respond to shootings, investigate murders, confront armed criminals and place themselves between violent criminals and the communities they have sworn to protect.”

She said Mzayiya had paid the ultimate price.

“He gave his life in service of South Africa. For that sacrifice, our nation owes him a debt that can never truly be repaid.

“Today, we honour not only the police officer, but the person behind the uniform, a man who was loved, respected and valued by his family, friends and colleagues.”

Mzayiya had been deployed to Knysna following a series of deadly shootings in the area, including the killing of councillor and former Knysna mayor Aubrey Tsengwa.

Police said three suspects had appeared in court in connection with Tsengwa’s murder, while investigations into the other killings were continuing.