The death of a third Tanzanian man in the presence of the police has sparked concern among the community in Mowbray, Cape Town.

Isakwisa Atupele Mwamasage, popularly known as Ras Isa, died on Thursday at a shop in the area. It is suspected that he was strangled to death during a police search.

According to the Tanzanian Cape Community vice chairperson, who asked not to be named, the shoemaker was in the shop when the police attacked him.

“The police went to search him; they suspected that he swallowed drugs, they manhandled him and pinned him down. We could see in the video how the two police

men were sitting on him, and he was in the middle.

“We could only see from the waist down. It looked like he was strangled; he was not crying or making movements, he was just kicking his legs, and then peed on himself, and then stopped moving.

“He was completely quiet, what I heard was that after they killed him inside the shop, the police officers took the body and put him in the van, he didn’t walk by himself to the vehicle, and the people on the scene confirmed he looked very heavy and two police were the ones who carried him and threw him into the van and then transported him to the police station.”

She said the officers returned to the shop only with the deceased’s cellphone, and they assured his friends that he was alright and at the station.

“They asked the police where Isa’s money was, but they didn’t give it back to them. They asked about the cellphone and said they should have left it at the police station.

“The officers said the man was safe when asked. But they later learned that he was, in fact, dead.”

The vice chairperson said that after seeing the video, they have been left traumatised.

“Even if he was selling drugs, they were not supposed to kill him. I kept seeing that video every time I tried to sleep.

“He is the third Tanzanian to die in two weeks at the hands of police. In Bellville, a man was arrested, and around midnight, he lost his life. He was badly beaten. Another at Joe Slovo was killed.

“They are supposed to hold them in custody and let the courts decide what to do with them.

“The police will always say that he was selling drugs, but what they did to Isa was too inhumane, and that video is now public, making its rounds. We are traumatised. Even when he was kicking, they didn’t let him go. He was a father and a Rasta man who just fixed shoes.”

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said the autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

“Preliminary investigations indicated that Mowbray police conducted stop-and-search operations on Thursday, 28 August 2025. They noticed a suspicious man near St Peters Street.

“It is alleged that when the police members approached the man, he took a small quantity of drugs which was in his possession and swallowed them. The members apprehended the man and detained him for possession of drugs. He complained of severe pains and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

“As a result, an inquest was registered for further investigation. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”

Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile said the docket will be investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

“If they are found to have done this, we will take steps. We police based on human rights, dignity, and respect, and make sure that there is professionalism when we do our jobs. If the person was doing anything that we don’t know, we are going to get the report from IPID.

“We don’t know what really happened at this stage. We are working on building trust with the community. We are trying to ensure we treat the community with dignity and respect.

“But where you have to apply force to overcome resistance, you do that within the bounds of the law.”

IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping said they have been notified of the incident and are yet to receive the docket so that the preliminary investigation can resume.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za 

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