adminMasvingo Correspondent
A MASVINGO Roman Catholic nun who is alleged to have suffocated to death a fortnight ago when she fell asleep while warming herself with a heater, is now suspected to have committed suicide.At the time of her death, there was speculation that Getrude Sunduza could have forgotten to switch off the heater and suffocated in her sleep but it has since emerged that the late nun had suicidal tendencies.
A fellow nun who spoke on condition of anonymity said Sunduza had previously attempted to kill herself on three separate occasions through poisoning.
Fellow nuns took her to a senior priest for counselling but she took a turn for the worse.
“We once took her to one of our priests where she underwent pastoral counselling but the situation got even worse as she changed her eating habits. She even put a black curtain on her bedroom window,” said the nun. “She sometimes took no food the whole day and that worried us. We may not know what exactly killed her and even her problems because she was not at liberty to share with us. However, it is highly likely that she committed suicide.”
Some members of the Roman Catholic Church also said they suspected that Sunduza committed suicide. Her former workmates at Shingairayi Study Centre also corroborated that version.
No one could, however, provide a possible reason why she was suicidal.
“Sister Sunduza had suddenly turned from being a jovial nun into an emotional person. Of late, she had been having suicidal thoughts and had on a number of occasions attempted to take her life.
“She was a loner, a character she exhibited towards the days of her death,” said a source.
Sunduza was found dead two weeks ago with burns on her arms and face.
At the time, acting Masvingo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nkululeko Nduna said police and Zesa personnel could not ascertain the source of the fire.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter