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Whinsley Masara,Chronicle Reporter
A 28-YEAR-OLD man from Old Magwegwe suburb in Bulawayo, who was allegedly drunk, committed suicide by strangling himself with a telephone cable after his family refused to open the door for him.
Ntando Ndlovu is said to have taken his own life on Tuesday morning after his family warned him against knocking and demanding entry into the house in the wee hours of the morning.
Stunned family members said when they opened the door at around 5AM, Ndlovu had taken a telephone cable that was hanging from a pole and strangled himself with it.
Ndlovu’s mother, Mrs Stella Ndlovu, told The Chronicle that her third child, Bhekisisa Ndlovu, discovered him minutes before he died. “He was seated on a chair with his hands still clutching the telephone cable. His pulse was very weak but his body was still warm,” said Mrs Ndlovu.
She said family members had been reluctant to open the door for Ntando because he was rowdy and acted drunk.
“Ntando left home at around 10PM saying he was going to put up at his uncle’s house which is a few houses away from ours. He had been sleeping at either of the houses for the past 10 years. He went on an alcohol binge after abstaining from liquor for about three months.
“This morning he knocked at the door at around 5AM. I reminded him about our earlier warning that he should not come knocking so early as it disturbed those of us who were still sleeping. Besides, it compromises security at the house,” said Mrs Ndlovu.
She said after about five minutes, she opened the door and found her son with a telephone cable that was hanging loose from the roof of the house.
“He threatened to hang himself. He usually behaves funny or aggressively when drunk but he had since stopped drinking. I grabbed the cable from him and threw it back onto the roof top and returned into the house to take a shower. I didn’t think he was serious about killing himself.”
“When his sister went outside minutes later, she found him slumped on the chair clutching the cable that was tied around his neck. We tried to render first aid but failed to revive him,” Mrs Ndlovu said.
Mr Bezert Ndlovu (52), the deceased’s father who had just arrived from Maphisa where he works, said he was at a loss for words.
As far as he knew, said Mr Ndlovu, his son did not have problems that could have driven him to suicide.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango yesterday confirmed the incident.
“Police are investigating a sudden death case due to hanging. We received a report of a 28-year-old man from Old Magwegwe who is suspected to have committed suicide following a domestic dispute.” said Insp Simango.
She urged residents to seek counselling instead of resorting to taking their lives. “We call on members of the public to use other means of solving differences.
They must seek counselling services from community elders, religious leaders, family and friends or approach the police when they’re facing difficulties. Dialogue is very important when people are facing difficulties,” said Insp Simango. — @winnie_masara
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