The Durban man who was accused of the rape and murder of 19-year-old sex worker Siam Lee has died, his lawyer has said.
"His uncle told me that he passed away at 07:30 in the morning. He died of cancer," his lawyer, Reial Mahabeer, said on Friday.
Philani Ntuli faced a string of charges related to Lee's murder and others relating to his ex-fiancé.
He was arrested after Lee's body was discovered in a sugarcane field in New Hanover, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, in January 2018.
He was granted R40 000 bail while his trial continued in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban.
Read more: Siam Lee murder accused granted R40 000 bail
The State opposed Ntuli's bail bid and argued that there was public outrage in the matter.
Previously, during the bail application process, Magistrate Mohamed Motala criticised police and the private investigators who arrested Ntuli.
He said they did not follow constitutional procedures during the arrest.
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