BULAWAYO – A 54-year-old man from Old Magwegwe committed suicide a day after telling a neighbour he intended to end his life because of poverty and neglect by his children.
The deceased, Zebron Phiri, was found on Sunday morning with a rope around his neck, part of it still tied to the roof truss.
Police said Phiri confided in a 78-year-old neighbour on August 16 that he was struggling with economic hardships and family neglect. He reportedly told her he would hang himself and leave his doors and windows open so his body would be discovered easily.
The following morning, the neighbour noticed that Phiri’s house was open but unusually quiet. When she failed to get a response after calling his name, she sought help from another resident. They found Phiri’s body lying on the floor, the rope still around his neck.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele urged the public to treat suicide threats with urgency.
“We encourage members of the public to take seriously conversations about suicide and suicide tendencies and seek professional help for the concerned parties,” she said.
Zimbabwe has seen a rise in suicide cases in recent years, with experts linking the trend to deepening economic hardship, unemployment, family neglect and limited access to mental health services.
In March, a 21-year-old man from Cowdray Park died after ingesting rat poison when reprimanded by his mother for wasting cooking oil. In another case, a Bulawayo businessman and butchery owner was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide.
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