By Fifi Rhodes
Rehoboth
The family of the late William Cloete who allegedly suffocated and died on April 01 while in police holding cells at Rosh Pinah are preparing to take legal action for gross negligence against officers in whose custody their 18-year-old son was when he died.
The warning came as William was laid to rest over the weekend in Rehoboth.
Aletta Goodman, the mother of the deceased says if nothing is disclosed during this week on whether any officers would face criminal charges, she would ask for legal advice to pursue the matter further. The legal action would be an attempt to force the police to disclose full details of an investigation done by the Police Complaints Commission into the “mysterious” death of her son.
Speaking to New Era a day after the funeral, Goodman said, “We would be pressing for a full disclosure of all the evidence. We do not want an edited version of the investigation as the victim was alive and well before he was taken into custody for no apparent reason.”
Cloete died on April 1 at Rosh Pinah after he was locked up in a “container” that the police allegedly use to lock up suspects. The police cells were apparently over crowded. Cloete’s half naked body was found the next day with burn wounds on his back, as well as bruises on his body and feet. Police at the time said he had suffocated as a result of a smouldering mattress that was lit with a cigarette by the victim during the course of the morning.
“The police kept us totally in the dark with the real circumstances that led to William’s death. Too many questions still remain unanswered. We are all very frustrated with what has been happening. We are not going to give up.
“If there were no charges, why did they lock him up?” she asked, adding that the Cloete family was feeling “very emotional”.
“The whole thing is so shocking. When is it going to stop? I hope whoever is responsible for this comes and sees the family and sees what they have done to them. We are all in a terrible state.”
People continued to lay flowers at Williams’s graveside yesterday while churches in the area offered prayers for the family during Easter services. A Reverend at one church asked his congregation to pray for all those that suffer from the trauma.
The 58-year-old mother, who from now on has no source of income anymore, is reportedly considering suing the police for unlawful arrest and other allegations made against them.
The late William had to leave school after his Grade 10 examinations in 2005. The family also mentioned bringing a case for wrongful imprisonment after police questioned the victim for hours.
The family suspected that on the fateful night, William tried to resist arrest, where after a scuffle with police ensued, which might have resulted in his injuries, since he was in no state to defend himself.
The family believes that the deceased might have been under the influence of alcohol and became violent towards the police, but they could have done something better to subdue him.