By Farai D Hove| The Zimbabwean government has donated a coffin each to the families of victims killed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police on Thursday night during the violence that saw Passengers Association President Tafadzwa Goliat being assaulted by riot police.

The police boss, Godwin Matanga says the deceased were shot by police officers who were defending themselves after clashes between the police and commuters following a ban on commuter omnibuses from entering the central business district.

Police Commissioner General Godwin Matanga spoke a day after the violent incident.

The three who died include newspaper sales agent, Nhamo Zephenia, Anatoria Kaseke a vendor, and another unnamed person.

Matanga did not mention what was going to happen to the police officers responsible for the shooting.

Zephania’s son Ronald was quoted by the Daily News saying, the police assisted us with $200 and Doves provided a coffin and chairs.

“At the moment we are hurting and I am not in a position to share much until we have sat down with the family and agreed on a way forward.”

National Vendors Union Zimbabwe (Navuz) chairperson, Sten Zvorwadza, present at the burial of Kaseke complained saying, “the only way to bring closure to the highest level of addressing this open wound right now‚ is for the government not to make piecemeal donations but to fully compensate the families of those whose lives they cut short.

“At the time she was murdered, she was pregnant but the police never took care to save either the mother or the baby and this is why the family believes their family member was innocent and she was murdered.”

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview Goliati claimed that in fact 3 people were killed by police.

“There were two guys, and also a woman, a vendor,” Mr Tafadzwa Goliati said.

He added saying the three were shot dead. LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW