Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza
POLICE in Bulawayo are searching for the next of kin of a man who died at a local food outlet on Monday morning while waiting for the food order he had purchased.
The unidentified man, whose age is yet to be ascertained, reportedly died while sitting on a chair at a local fast food outlet.
Employees at the outlet were alerted to the incident by a fellow customer who noticed that the deceased was sitting awkwardly and motionless.
When a Chronicle news crew arrived at the scene, detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department’s Homicide division had reportedly left.
The body was still inside the outlet at 9:45AM and was ferried by police to a local hospital for a postmortem.
“The deceased did not have identity documents on him when he collapsed and died at a food outlet in the city. Police took hold of his phone in the hope that someone, a friend or relative calls the mobile cell phone, and we notice the deceased next of kin,” Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, said.
An airtime vendor who asked not to be identified said the other customers were asked to leave the premises after the deceased met his untimely death.
“All the customers were asked to move outside and they were served their orders by security guards through a single door.
“We could not really see what was happening inside but the workers had left their work stations and were standing in groups inside the premises,” she said.
Meanwhile, police have confirmed two cases of murder that occurred in the city in just two days.
In the first case that took place last Friday, two men had a misunderstanding over a chair at a leisure centre in Bubi District, Matabeleland North Province.
“On 21 November after 8PM, the accused, Killon Ndlovu (45) and the now deceased Zibonile Mpofu (40), both of Nkenyane in Bubi District, were drinking at a leisure centre and had a misunderstanding over a chair.
“Mpofu slapped Ndlovu on the cheek and the accused retaliated by hitting him with a fist.
“The now deceased fell and hit his head on the ground. The two were restrained by other patrons and the deceased got up before heading home,” said Insp Msebele.
“The deceased was referred to Mpilo Hospital for treatment after his condition deteriorated and passed away two days later,”
In the second murder incident that happened last Saturday, a mine worker from Happy Valley West Mine went to a colleague’s cabin to wake him up for lunch.
“He noticed that the deceased Xolani Ncube was lying in an awkward position and there were blood stains on his mattress.
“A report was made to the police who observed that the deceased had a deep cut behind his left ear,” she said.
Further police investigations unearthed that the deceased had a misunderstanding with Butholezwe Ndlovu (41) of Romney Park who was arrested and admitted to striking Ncube with an axe.
Police have urged members of the public not to take the law into their own hands but find amicable ways of solving disputes.
