A month after hip hop star Tumi Tladi’s demise, questions are being asked regarding the circumstances of his death.
One view is that Tladi took his life by gassing himself, according to a close friend and a policeman close to the investigations. However, his family insist he was not suicidal and suspect foul play.
Tladi, the son of revered music impresario Peter Tladi, was found dead at his posh townhouse in Northriding, north of Joburg on July 10.
The Basadi hitmaker’s cause of death has remained a mystery and talk among hip hop aficionados is that he was knifed to death.
But the speculation was put to rest by two reliable sources – a media personality and a cop – who said the rapper committed suicide at his house.
The personality, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, alleges that Tladi bought several litres of lithium and consumed it through pipes that he had connected to a 10kg bottle.
“You remember he was found dead on a Sunday? But he bought the stuff on a Thursday from the nearest shop and consumed it on Sunday. It looks like he planned this. But what is strange about this is that he did not display any sign of depression before taking his own life.”
A cop, who also did not want to be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media, said preliminary investigations revealed that the artist had gassed himself at home. He said he was surprised when the musician’s parents said they suspected foul play and asked the investigating team to ask a toxicologist to investigate the cause of his death.
The report will reveal whether or not there was suffocation from the fumes he consumed or he was killed. The detectives have already acquired the services of a toxicologist to conduct investigations and would know by next week Friday what the exact cause of his death is.
From there they will decide whether or not to commute the inquest to murder or proceed with inquest investigation,” said the cop.
Their versions were corroborated by a police statement which we have seen. The statement states that a bevy of cops were patrolling in the area when they received a complaint to rush to the musician’s condo. They said when they arrived there, they were welcomed by a woman named Victoria and a security guard who ushered them to Tladi‘s bedroom where they found his lifeless body.
“On arrival they found Miss Victoria and SB Security officer and they took them to the bedroom where there was a man lying on the bed with a clear plastic under his head. And there was also 10kg bottle with pipes and there was no sig (sic) on a man and medic (sic) Mr Neil Van Der Merwe certified him dead and the body was taken to a mortuary,” read the statement.
The artist’s father confirmed the family suspects foul play and had requested police to determine the exact cause of death. “Ja, we are still waiting for an autopsy report and the inquest has not been finalised,” he said when asked if they suspect any foul play.
He added that his son did not display any signs of depression before his death.
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