File Picture: Timothy A Clary/AFP
Johannesburg - The brutal death of a suspect in custody whose grieving family had to identify his mutilated body has highlighted the alarming rate of killings in police custody.
Herman Mogoboya’s family are desperately seeking answers after officers at Temba police station in Tshwane told them their loved one had committed suicide on Monday morning following his arrest the previous day.
The deceased’s angry brother, David, told The Star this week that Mogoboya had a long and deep gash above his left eye, and police refused to reveal how exactly the 35-year-old mechanic killed himself.
This latest death has brought into stark focus the harrowing numbers of people who lose their lives in police custody.
According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (Ipid) 2018/19 report, 214 people lost their lives in police custody out of 393 who were killed by officers.
These numbers were a major jump from just two years prior, when 89 people lost their lives in custody out of 207 who were killed by cops.
David, who said his family were shown gruesome pictures of his brother’s bloodied face, said the deceased was arrested on Sunday after his lover and her mother alleged that Mogoboya had pointed a gun at them.
“We suspect foul play.
“They didn’t say how he took his life, but we saw a deep cut on his face, on top of his left eye.
“You can see the inner tissue (from the gash). How did he cut himself?” David asked.
“When they arrested him, he was well and fit. Even the pathology side said he was not infected with Covid19,” the brother said.
What made the grief worse for the family, David added, was that they were only permitted to view the body on Wednesday, and can’t bury their kin as his body is still with the authorities.
The Star sent detailed questions to Ipid, which has been investigating the matter all week.
Responding on Ipid’s behalf, spokesperson Ndileka Cola confirmed that the directorate was probing Mogoboya’s death in custody.
“The entire investigation process is going to reveal other details. At this point in time, Ipid is still waiting for technical reports,” Cola said.
She did not reveal what the other details were that would be unearthed from the probe.
Asked how long it would take before the “technical reports” were ready, Cola said: “Ipid doesn’t have control over the technical report as it is done by health specialists.”
The latest Ipid figures also show that police committed 124 rapes and 270 torture incidents.
This was also a steep rise from just two years prior, when the rapes and torture were at 51 and 61 respectively.
The Star
Related Topics: