‘‘The suspect was not assaulted by the SAPS,’’ said Crystal Park SAPS media liaison officer Tryna Maritz.
‘‘The photographer of the local criminal record centre took photos of the body and there were no visible injuries on his body.’’
Maritz said the man was not placed in the cell with any visible injuries, but was ‘‘heavily under the influence of alcohol’’.
A Chief Albert Luthuli Park community member, who has ties with the deceased’s wife, believes the man was assaulted by police.
The deceased was arrested at his residence, in Chief Albert Luthuli Park, at 7.30pm, on September 17.
He was placed in a holding cell with several other detainees for about nine hours, with police conducting hourly checks on the cell.
The man’s body was discovered at 5am the next day.
Crystal Park SAPS are awaiting the results of the post mortem, and suspect the man died of natural causes.
A case of death in detention was opened at the Crystal Park SAPS.
