The Modise family in Soweto is demanding answers after their son, Thapelo Modise, allegedly shot and killed himself in custody at the Dobsonville Police Station last week Friday. Thapelo was arrested at a roadblock in Dobsonville and taken to the police station where he was supposed to be tested for alcohol in his blood. However, after the police left him with a nurse at the station, he allegedly took out a gun he had on him and shot himself dead.

The family said they wants answers because by law, the police were supposed to disarm Thapelo when they arrested him. "How did they let Thapelo in the van without searching him," his mother Susan Modise asked, adding that that they got a visit from the police at 4:20am on Saturday morning asking them to come to Dobsonville Police Station because the station commander asked to see them. "I asked them why and what was happening, but they didn't disclose. So, I asked my sister to accompany me. When we got to the station, they told us that they called us there bearing bad news and told us Thapelo has died. I asked them how and they said he shot himself while waiting for blood to be taken for drunken driving and was in the next office. Just like that my son was gone, "she said. She said when she asked to see him, she was met with a sight that will haunt her for the rest of her life. "His body was covered in bruises. His was heavily swollen on the face. The gunshot wound was at the back of his head. He was sitting as if he was asleep and would wake up. However, his blood and brains were scattered on the floor."

She said as a family, they are deeply hurt because they were counting on the deceased to change the situation at home and that he had promised to uplift them. "We are devastated and traumatised to an extent that we want answers, even from the nurse who was with Thapelo in that room. She needs to tell us what happened before he took his life, we have so many questions, so we will wait for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate's (IPID) investigation and hope that we get the right outcome so that we can get closure," Modise said.

IPID spokesperson Pheladi Shuping confirmed the incident and said around 22:00pm on Friday, JMPD members were conducting roadblock in Dobsonville around 10pm on Friday night and they arrested an African male and took him to Dobsonville police station to detain him and take blood samples. "While they were waiting for the nurse to draw blood samples from the suspect, the African male requested to speak to a Colonel Moagi, and he informed him that he is a bodyguard of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Immediately after talking to him, he allegedly took out his firearm and shot himself. He shot himself in front of two other suspects arrested for drunken driving waiting to be drawn blood, three JMPD officers and Colonel Moagi. The deceased was declared dead by paramedics," said Shuping. The deceased was taken to Diepkloof mortuary.