Knysna mourns loved veteran cop
At the peak of his career, one of the Garden Route's best policemen, Captain Reginus Quine, died in a car accident on Monday 11 November on the N2 near Swellendam. He would have turned 53 on 30 November.
Quine was the branch commander of the detective service at KwaNokuthula police station in Plettenberg Bay, with 30 collective years of service in the police. He was previously stationed in Knysna.
The accident happened while Quine was on his way to a work session in Paarl with two of his colleagues, who have received medical attention and are out of danger now.
The cause of the accident and his death is unknown yet. An autopsy will be done to determine this. Eden Cluster commander Major General Oswald Reddy expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Reddy visited the accident scene in person and also wished the injured members a speedy recovery. He said Quine will be sadly missed, and added, "He was renowned as an excellent detective."
The captain's forte was crime and murder, and he was instrumental in high-profile cases such as the Hunters Home murders in 2015 and more recently, the Victor Molosi murder last year.
He worked alongside Knysna's head of detectives Lieutenant Colonel Siddique Khan, who stated that the captain's passing is an immense loss. "I have lost such a valuable, irreplaceable officer and it's unfortunate that I had to lose him in this way. He became a captain just last year, his career was flourishing. It is really sad to have lost him this way."
Quine is survived by his life partner Marlene Kapp, children Damian Kapp (26), Quelene (19) and Jason Quine (14), and his mother Florence Quine.