Elderly man dies while waiting for help outside police station
Cape Town – An elderly man passed away outside a police station, after apparently waiting in vain for cops to assist him.
Residents living near the Kraaifontein Police Station were shocked to find the body of the unidentified 71-year-old, under a tree just outside the cop shop on Monday afternoon.
A police officer was notified and a mortuary van later arrived to collect the body, which was covered with a sheet.
A man’s body was found at the Kraaifontein Police Station on Monday afternoon. Picture: Solly Lottering
Passersby who found the body say the deceased, who looked scruffy and dirty, was not known to anyone in the area.
According to a female resident who was present when police inspected the body, the man had no visible signs of injury.
He had apparently been inside the police station and sat there for a while, waiting to be assisted. He later left and was found dead outside under a tree.
The witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The police officer who was outside said the man looked as if he had died from the heat."
“With the weather being so hot and dry, it is easy to get dehydrated. The man is so lucky he died at the police station and not on a field somewhere where he might not have been found."
“I hope he is identified soon and his family is found. It is sad that he died at the police station."
“It’s really not something a person sees everyday.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirms an investigation is underway. “Circumstances surrounding the death of an unidentified male whose body was found in front of the Kraaifontein Police Station by a member of the public who visited Kraaifontein SAPS on Monday about 1:35pm and reported it to the Community Service Centre personnel are under investigation,” said van Wyk.
“The 71-year-old deceased has no visible injuries to his body and was declared dead by paramedics. An inquest was opened for investigation. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”