Lecture to honour slain Kinnear marked by emotions

A YEAR after anti-gang detective Lieutenant-General Charl Kinnear was gunned down, his family is still trying to “pick up the pieces”.

Kinnear’s widow, Nicolette, shared the impact of her husband’s murder – on September 18 outside the family home in Bishop Lavis – during an emotional first annual memorial lecture to honour the top policeman.

“If I look at the calendar I am reminded that it’s been a year since the incident. But in these four walls [home] it feels like yesterday. We thought of the time, 14:48pm, when he called one of his sons for the last time. Two minutes later, he was assassinated. It took two minutes from him hearing his dad’s voice to the situation we are in today,” Kinnear said.

Holding back tears, she said the family had learnt during the court hearings that her husband had been a target since 2018.

“But because of these guys [members of the Anti-gang Unit] who provided protection and would not leave his side, we had him for at least two more years. In 2019, after the protection service was withdrawn, they continued and would sit outside the door. It is because of you that we can now manage to get three to four hours of sleep at night,”

Kinnear said.

Earlier this month, the family attended an event at the Union buildings, in Tshwane, in remembrance of police members who had died on duty, where Kinnear’s name was placed on a memorial wall.

“What a huge honour it was – but an honour bestowed 30 years too soon. One of my sons was asked on that day how he felt about meeting the president, and his response was that everyone wants to meet the president, but he met him because his dad was murdered,” Kinnear said.

She appealed to the community to show care towards each other and report crime.

“We use crutches of fear to avoid reporting crime in our community. We need to be the change that we would like to see, that’s our responsibility. I decided I would not keep quiet; SAPS lost my fight to see justice being done. But I will not sit back,” she said.

“We finish what we start. Give your best in every investigation,” Kinnear urged the AGU members as she handed them tokens of appreciation, and a CK memorial award to the best cop, Warrant Officer Bruce “Eagles” van Staden.

Addressing the gathering, Mitchells Plain Station Commander Brigadier Cas Goolam described Kinnear – with whom

he worked for many years, as “a friend united by a common enemy – the Cape Flats gangs”.

“The first time I met Kinnear was when I had to do a screening on him, as he was regarded as a troublemaker. I found nothing wrong with him”.

He also recalled the day when Kinnear was assassinated.

“I came to the scene and gave direction as to what should be done. It fell on deaf ears. But I will leave that to those who are dealing with the case,” he said.

Goolam said Kinnear trusted him with “sensitive” operations as he was “dealing with syndicates” and would call on him, even when he was transferred to the AntiGang Unit (AGU). “The calibre of Kinnear is an endangered species in the police. My generation is about to end and if the government and community do not intervene, I don’t know what the future holds,” said Goolam.

A local pastor, Llewellyn McMaster, also described Kinnear as a “principled person” who acted with integrity, honesty, “fairness, justice and respect for dignity”.

He also urged the community to embrace the values and principles which Kinnear embodied.

“Kinnear saw how dishonesty and corruption seeped into the sector he worked in. He was tempted to assimilate the culture which was in conflict with what he stood for. But he paid a price for taking a stance against corruption. Let Kinnear arise in all of us,” he pleaded with the community.

A member of the Bishop Lavis Development Forum said the community was still in shock after the tragedy.

Michael Hoffmeester said the community was unhappy with the delays in the trial.

“We were hoping that by now there would be progress, so that the family can find closure,” he said.

Former rugby player Zane Killian and underworld figure Nafiz Modack have been charged with Kinnear’s murder. The court heard how Killian had intercepted Kinnear’s phone data to monitor his movements.

The pair were expected to appear in court again on September 22.