Family members of the dead woman claim she collapsed while they were walking out of the cop shop.
The shocking incident happened on Thursday night, 21 May.
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The 48-year-old woman from Delft had been missing since Tuesday, 19 May 2026, after leaving home for Elsies River at about 8am.
On Thursday, police sent out a message saying the woman had been sitting at Mfuleni cop shop all day but couldn’t speak properly or provide her details. The message asked anyone with information to contact the station.
Her family later arrived and identified her, but tragedy struck as they were leaving the station. The woman suddenly collapsed near the entrance.
Her family said they begged police to help rush her to hospital but were allegedly told to call an ambulance instead.
A family friend who was there claimed they waited for hours.
“She collapsed about 3pm. We asked police to help us take her to hospital, but they refused. They told us to call an ambulance after 3pm, but as I was speaking to you at 8.21pm, an ambulance had still not arrived,” claimed the family friend.
The ambulance arrived at about 8.30pm. Paramedics declared the woman dead at the police station. Her body allegedly remained at the station afterwards.
The family believes she could still be alive if help had arrived sooner.
They said they are deeply hurt and want answers about why she waited so long for medical assistance.
Missing person message circulated
Earlier on Thursday, police had circulated a message said the woman was lost and unable to explain who she was or where she came from.
The message read: “We have this lady at Mfuleni police station. She is lost and can’t speak properly. She has been sitting here the whole morning. Any person with any information please contact Mfuleni police station.”
The family claimed they rushed to the station as soon as they received the message. They never expected it would end in heartbreak.
The incident has left many residents shocked, with some questioning why emergency assistance was not provided sooner.
Police spokeswoman Thembakazi Mpendukana confirmed the incident.
“An inquest docket has been opened regarding an incident that occurred outside of Mfuleni Police Station on Thursday, 21 May, at around 17:00.
“Police reports state that the 47-year-old female was reported missing on Monday, 18 May, and her sister received a message to go fetch her from Mfuleni Police Station on Thursday.”
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“The female who was reported missing then collapsed as they were going to their car and was declared deceased on suspected natural causes.
“A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death,” said Mpendukana.
