It is unclear what caused the death of Patrick Simmers, 65, whose body was discovered by Seaview block watch neighbourhood watch members outside T’s Liquor Store at Rocklands Shopping Centre, Mitchells Plain.
Block watch member Clarence Trouncel found Patrick lying in a sleeping position on Friday just before 7am.
Clarence believes the cold might have caused his death.
“It started the night before already; he took a drinkie behind a stall and undressed himself. I told him ‘no man, it’s cold’, and he dressed himself again.
“We think he must have slept here the whole night in the cold.
“He was here at the garage every day and at the bottle store and was well-known by everyone.
“He lives behind the shopping centre and always went home after 10pm.
“We start at 3am, each doing our patrols, and that morning we found his body.
“He looked like he was sleeping.
“The police arrived and I went to inform his family.”
Patrick’s daughter Mecarlo Simmers, 33, says he had formerly worked in the electricity department for the City of Cape Town but became an alcoholic in later years.
His wife passed away in 2006 and they had two children together.
Mecarlo explains they are awaiting a post-mortem to determine the cause of death: “I don’t know what the cause of his death was, but he drank a lot.
“He was always around there at the shops.
“He would often come home at night but he didn’t [on Thursday]."
Police have no record of the incident.