The family of a Parkwood shopkeeper, accused of killing teen Shelton Williams, say Pollsmoor Prison officials are allowing him to starve to death as gangsters are controlling food rations.
Several weeks after claiming he was fed pork as a Muslim inmate, Mohammed Muktar Muhammed, 27, returned to court last week for the continuation of his bail hearing.
The Somali national was arrested by Grassy Park police last month for the shooting of the 15-year-old Shelton at his winkel in Heath Road in an alleged argument over a lighter.
The bhai told the court he was one of 10 siblings and came to South Africa many years ago and has been seeking asylum since February 2018.
He said on arrival at Pollsmoor, he was robbed of his blanket and mattress and forced to wash the onnies of bandiete in addition to being fed pork.
At the time, Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Candice van Reenen said Muhammed had simply gone to collect food at the wrong station.
But his brother Abdul-Karriem, 31, has claimed that bandiete control food distribution innie mang.
“He did not collect food, the food is issued by gang members as they want to. He only became aware that he was given pork when he started to get sick after eating the meat that tasted strange,” he explained.
“Can you see how thin he is? Because he is starving to death and the gangsters overrun the wardens and they steal food every day.
“They take his clothes and let him lie on a cold floor with almost nothing on and give him his jacket back when he must come to court.”
“We are even told that if he doesn’t come back to prison with a packet of cigarettes, he will die. I understand that people are angry, but this country has a constitution which says everyone has a right to defend himself and he has not been found guilty,” Abdul-Karriem added.
Van Reenen did not respond to queries.