Family shock as man found hanged in police cell

EAST London police have opened an inquest docket after a Duncan Village man was found hanged at the police holding cells last week.

Peagane Somtsewu, 26, of Ford Street was arrested on December 28 after he had been accused of theft. East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala confirmed this.

“He was found dead, three hours after he was locked there. He allegedly hanged himself in the police holding cells at Duncan Village police station and he was alone inside the cells at the time,” said Mqala.

She said the deceased had been locked in the cells at about 10am and had been checked regularly.

“Every hour cells are visited and at 12pm he was seen alive and during lunch time at 1pm, the police found him hanging from the cell. An inquest has been opened to investigate this,” said Mqala.

But yesterday the deceased’s family questioned how Somtsewu had hanged himself inside the cells using a blanket.

The family alleged they were denied entry to the cells to see how he had hanged himself.

Somtsewu’s sister Nontlantla Jack said: “We were never told what exactly happened there. He died within three hours of him being put in that cell but the family was told a day later about his death?

“Also the post-mortem was done without us knowing or seeing the body to be sure if he was not assaulted,” said Jack.

His mother, Phumla Somtsewu said she had visited her son the same day to give him cigarettes and a jersey.

“When I visited him I was never told that my son had hanged himself. I was told to go away and I suspect that they knew by then that my son was dead but they did not tell me that,” said Somtsewu.

“If he died on a Thursday at lunch time, why did the police visit the family or informed us a day later about his death? When we wanted to visit we were told that we should come the following week on Tuesday.”

Mandisa Booi said though some officers assisted them, they feel there was something that was being hidden. “Only if they can allow us inside that cell and show us the blanket and how he hanged himself that we will believe this,” said Booi.

The family said they would struggle to bury him as funeral policies would not pay out as the police had ruled Somtsewu’s death a suicide.