LILLIAN AMOS
Family, friends and colleagues of slain Grassy Park police detective Lindekile Patrick Sikade, 39, packed the Calvinist Church in Grassy Park on Friday April 22 to pay their respects him.
Officers from the Grassy Park police precinct performed the guard of honour and laid wreathes at a cross that was put up at the station. Thereafter the group congregated at the church for a memorial service.
Constable Sikade was gunned down in his unmarked police car in front of his home in Hlosi Street, in Philippi East, on Monday April 18, at about 6am. He was on his way to work.
His wife Nomfusi Sikade was inconsolable at the memorial service.
The constable leaves behind his wife and three young children aged six months, four and 10 years old.
Grassy Park CPF public relations officer, Philip Bam led the service at the Calvinist Church.
He extended his condolences to the family of the slain officer on behalf of the CPF and the greater Grassy Park area, saying the CPF strongly condemned the attack on a servant of the state.
He recalled seeing Constable Sikade at the precinct and remembered the officer’s friendly demeanour.
“Constable Sikade was a good example of a dedicated officer and I am certain that he would have surely been promoted to a general one day.
“It is sad that he had to fall in the line of duty but even sadder is that it was an assassination. There should be no mercy to the people who did this. They injured the family of the officer but they also hurt the entire community,” he said.
He added that those responsible for Constable Sikade’s death should be brought to book and that the state should make sure that all forces of the law are used against criminals who kill police officers. Anyone with information can call Warrant Officer Alfred Baker of the Hawks on 071 351 7464 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.