An awaiting-trial prisoner facing charges of armed robbery and attempted murder was found hanged with a tracksuit drawstring from the ventilation system in the Pietermaritzburg High Court cells on Wednesday.
Police Supt Joshua Gwala said the 28-year-old prisoner was found dead when a policeman visited the holding cells. Paramedics were summoned, but certified the man dead.
His name was not released on Wednesday because his family had not been informed of his death.
The man had appeared in court just before 11am and had been returned to the cell after his trial was postponed, said Gwala. A post mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of his death.
"At this stage no foul play is suspected, however, the police, together with members of the Independent Complaints Directorate, are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident," Gwala said.
The Mercury learnt that the man had been facing charges in connection with an incident in which a policeman was shot and seriously injured during a car chase through Pietermaritzburg in May last year.
When arrested on Sunday, the man had been armed with a pistol and in possession of a Mercedes-Benz that had been hijacked in the Durban area recently.