Probe into death of inmate
Mom says she barely recognised him because of extensive injuries he sustained in custody
TWO separate murder investigations, one by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) and the other by police have been launched into the death of a remand detainee at Pollsmoor Prison.
Raziel Philander, 40, of Retreat, had been put in remand after being arrested and taken to Claremont police station on September 7, suspected of possessing stolen goods.
After having had his bail application rejected by the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, Philander and his two co-accused were sent to Pollsmoor on September 9, where his mother Sally Philander, 60, said five weeks later he was attacked and left for dead.
His cousin Tracy Lee said, “The prison authorities called my aunt Sally, his mother, on the morning of October 14 to tell her Raziel had been assaulted during the night, and that he had been taken to Groote Schuur hospital.
“They didn’t tell us what his condition was, why it happened or anything. All the warden could tell us was that she found him after being alerted by other inmates, after 3am.”
Philander said when she got the news, she went to the hospital and couldn’t recognise her son, he had been beaten so badly. “His face was all swollen up and he was hooked up to a life-support machine, as he was already in a coma when they transferred him from prison to the hospital.”
Lee added, “When the hospital did a CAT scan, they found his skull was cracked. The doctors said it looked like he had been hit with a very heavy object, but we think he may have had his head smashed against a wall or a sink. When we took off the blanket to see his injuries we could see that his whole left side had been so severely bruised that he had turned purple.”
Raziel Philander was in hospital for 17 days before he died on October 29. Raziel was buried on Saturday. His mother said, “We still want to know who killed him, and why? We want to know who we need to ask to tell us the details. I will not have closure until I know.”
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said, “A murder case was opened for investigation after a 40-year-old man died in prison. The case is still under investigation, with no arrests so far.”
Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services spokesperson Emerentia Cupido said, “The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services was informed of the death of the inmate. We and the police are investigating.”