Durban - A foreigner was found dead this week in a pool of blood at a beachfront hotel in Durban.
A cleaner at the Blue Waters Hotel found the man naked near the bath in his room on Thursday morning when she went to clean his room.
The deceased, who cannot be named because his next of kin have yet to be informed, had been attending a conference.
He is believed to be an official in Mozambique’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Rural Development.
A police source, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said the 35-year-old man had attended a conference at a Durban North venue on Wednesday.
“Hotel records show he entered his room at about 5.30pm, but was only found the next morning by a hotel attendant,” said the source.
The informant said the blood may have been the result of the man biting his tongue when he fell.
It required six policemen to load the well-built man’s body into a mortuary vehicle, the source said.
The body was examined by the state pathologist on Friday.
Police have called for a toxicology and blood analysis report.
“All the man’s valuables were still in the room and we don’t suspect foul play at this stage,” the informant said.
SAPS spokesman Major Thulani Zwane confirmed the incident.
“An inquest docket was opened after a man was found dead in his hotel room,” Thulani said.
“He was bleeding from his nose and mouth.
“The cause of death is unknown,” said Thulani.
An official at the Mozambican embassy in Durban, who asked not to be named, said they were in the process of contacting the dead man’s family.
Sunday Tribune