A woman is mourning the death of her fiancé after he was killed in a police cell, allegedly by fellow detainees.
|||A Cape Town woman is today mourning the death of her fiancé after he was beaten to death in a police cell on Friday night, allegedly by fellow detainees.
Sylvia Hamman last saw 48-year-old Eben Meyer on Friday morning when he set off to work at a courier company near Ysterplaat air force base.
Some 18 hours later, she was informed by police that he had been beaten to death in a cell at Durbanville police station.
Police spokesman Andrè Traut told the Cape Argus on Monday Meyer had been arrested during the early hours of Saturday morning for being drunk in public.
He was detained and placed in a cell with eight others.
“Meyer was assaulted and succumbed as a result of his injuries. Information would suggest that he had an argument with two other detainees, which led to a fight,” Traut said.
The incident had occurred at around 1.30am, half-an-hour after his detention.
“The two suspects, who were also being detained for being drunk, are now facing a murder charge,” Traut said.
“The circumstances surrounding the matter are being investigated and they are due to make a court appearance in Bellville tomorrow.”
According to a report on Monday in a morning newspaper, Meyer had been at a well-known pub in Durbanville, and had been repeatedly kicked and hit by his fellow detainees in the police cell.
Hamman said she was “devastated” at the news of Meyer’s death and blamed police.
“It must be investigated. If the police had looked after his safety, he would not be dead today.”
She said they had been due to marry in September.
A family member confirmed that Meyer had three children – Naomi, 24, Sonika, 22, and Inge, 17 – from a previous marriage. - Cape Argus