Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
A VILLAGE head in Bubi District committed suicide by hanging after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Mr Roy Moyo (56) of Village 4, Dromoland in Inyathi arrived at his home on Wednesday morning from Bulawayo where he was receiving treatment.
He hanged himself on Thursday morning, about 50 metres away from home.
The Officer Commanding Nkayi District, Chief Superintendent Never Tembo, confirmed the incident.
“I can confirm that we received a report of sudden death where a village head in Bubi district took his own life by hanging himself.
“We urge members of the public to seek counselling when going through difficult times and never to resort to taking their own lives,” said Chief Supt Tembo.
Ward 12 Councillor, Mrs Sithembiso Ndlovu, said Mr Moyo had been ill for some time and was recently diagnosed with cancer.
“I have lost one of my best traditional leaders especially in terms of development. He was a hard working and strong man and I still don’t understand what got into him,” said Cllr Ndlovu.
She said Mr Moyo had been receiving treatment in Bulawayo and suddenly told his relatives that he was returning home.
“His nieces said they didn’t understand because out of the blue, he said he wanted to go to Inyathi yet he had just started receiving treatment for cancer. He arrived at his home at around 11AM on Wednesday while his wife was at work where she teaches,” Cllr Ndlovu said.
She said Mr Moyo surprised his wife when he allegedly told her not to unpack his bag later that night. “I think this man came home with the intention of killing himself because a new rope was found in his bag after he was found dead.
“His wife said at around 4AM, Moyo had complained of feeling too much pain on his left thigh. He said ‘kungcono uNkulunkulu abuye angithathe ngizihambele ngoba ngizwa ubuhlungu obukhulu shuwa’, (it’s better the Lord comes and takes me because I’m feeling a lot of pain).”
Cllr Ndlovu said Mr Moyo’s wife left for work at around 6 AM leaving him in bed. “When she left for work, he was still complaining of intense pain.
At around 8 AM, his daughter, Sithulisile Moyo entered his bedroom to fetch cooking oil, greeted him and left to prepare him breakfast. When she returned to give him food, she didn’t find him and thought maybe he had visited the toilet. After sometime, with her sibling, they discovered that their father was nowhere to be found,” said the councillor.
The girls informed their mother who hurriedly came back home.
“His family followed his footprints which led them to a tree where he hung himself. The body was discovered at around 10AM and he had hung himself with a rope that he took from his kraal.
“In his bag, we found a new rope which we think he had brought all the way from Bulawayo and probably didn’t get an opportunity to walk out of his home carrying it,” Cllr Ndlovu said.
— @winnie_masara