Durban - A man has died after vomiting blood on the pavement at the corner of Clarence Road and Ninth Avenue in Morningside on Friday.
According to car guard Zakhele Mthiyane, a friend and colleague of the deceased, the man in his mid 20's was upbeat and well moments before collapsing on the pavement.
"He was carrying his usual bags and a 2 litre bottle walking up Clarence Road when he started coughing," explained Mthiyane.
"He tried holding it in at first but blood came out."
Mthiyane alleged that the man from Inanda, who lived in Albert Park in the Durban CBD, was on TB treatment but was a heavy whoonga user.
"I think something was in that bottle he was carrying," said Mthiyane.
Staff at the Something Special Bakery on Clarence Road were shocked at the news of the passing of the car guard they had grown fond of. He usually received a cup of tea and cake from the bakery for keeping the area safe.
Captain Kevin Stephen from the Berea Police Station, said the 2 litre bottle found next to the deceased has been sent for forensic testing.
"At this stage there are no signs indicating foul play. We suspect he suffocated from his own blood."
Life Response 24/7 declared the man dead on the scene.
"We were called out by the Berea SAPS and when we arrived there were no signs of life on the patient," a spokesperson said.