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Freeman Razemba Crime Reporter
A ZIMBABWEAN Embassy official was shot and killed by a police officer in Pretoria, South Africa, on Saturday after allegedly being mistaken for an armed robber.Lucky Hakueri (37), a security official at the Embassy of Zimbabwe, was gunned down along Glenwood Road in Lynnwood.

He was in the company of his friend Albany Chitsuwi (age not given), an IT specialist working in Pretoria who was also shot and seriously injured.

The two were travelling in a blue BMW belonging to Hakueri when the incident occurred. Chitsuwi was admitted in an intensive care unit at Zuid-Afrikaans Hospital in Sunnyside where his condition was said to be critical.

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha confirmed the shooting, saying they were awaiting an official report from the South African police.

“What we have so far is a version from the relatives of what could have transpired and the police have not given us an official report,” he said.

“It is being said that the two went to pick up a friend as they wanted to go and play tennis and that is when an unmarked car blocked their way.”

Ambassador Bimha said Hakueri and Chitsuwi thought they were being hijacked and reversed their vehicle in an attempt to speed off, but were shot in the process.

He said the cop who shot them has since been arrested and was assisting with investigations.
“We have since presented our case to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Africa to investigate the matter and inform us. We are still waiting for the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country.”

Hakueri’s wife Sarah Sande said her husband and Chitsuwi went to a friend’s house to pick her up so that they could go and play tennis.
“He loved to play tennis so much and on that day they drove and parked the vehicle at a complex in Glenwood Road to pick up the friend. That is when they were approached by the police officer,” she said.

“The policeman disembarked from his vehicle holding a rifle which he pointed at the two, ordering them to disembark from the vehicle, but they panicked thinking that he was a carjacker.”

Sande said Hakueri then sped off, but the police officer ran towards their vehicle firing shots.
“He was a loving and caring husband. He was very quiet and I am saddened by this loss,” she said.

One of Hakueri’s close friends Mr Chamu Motsi said the police officer who shot at the two did not identify himself.
“The motive is still unknown. It is a very sad incident,’’ he said.

Hakueri and Sande lived in Riviera and had a two-year-old son, Leroy Camilo.  He had been working at the embassy for more than 10 years.

Hakueri’s brother Victor said burial arrangements would be announced soon as they were still finalising documents to repatriate his body.

People quoted by the South African media said Hakueri crashed his car into another parked vehicle before crashing into a wall while trying to escape.

The friend who was supposed to be picked up said she went outside the gate to investigate when she heard gun shots.
“Hakueri’s friend was lying on the ground and the man had a gun pointed at him,” she said. “I asked him why he was shooting them, explaining that they were waiting for me. Only then did he put away his gun and called an ambulance.”