Times Of Swaziland: Ex-Miss SD tiffany is dead

Ex-Miss SD tiffany is dead
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 WELCOME DLAMINI on 19/08/2009 00:00:00


MBABANE – Former Miss Swaziland 2008/2009 Tiffany Sibong-akonkhe Simelane has
died after committing suicide on Monday afternoon.
The death of the 21-year-old ex-beauty queen comes exactly 22 days after she
relinquished her title to current Miss Swaziland Nompilo Mncina.
News of Tiffany’s death began spreading like wildfire from Monday night after
her demise was posted on the popular social networking site Facebook.
Her death was yesterday confirmed by her uncle, Bongani Eugene Zwane, who said
the former Waterford Kamhlaba pupil died while undergoing treatment at the
Mbabane Clinic.
Zwane could not divulge details regarding the suicide, but unconfirmed reports
are that Tiffany took her own life by swallowing weevil tablets.
Also, reasons for her to commit suicide remain subject to speculation as the
family had no idea what could have influenced her decision to end her life.
Even though there was further talk of a suicide note that she left behind, the
devastated family could not officially comment on this.
"I was called at around 5pm on Monday and told that Tiffany had been taken to
the Mbabane Clinic and I rushed there only to find that she had succumbed to
death," the uncle said, in a sombre tone.
Zwane said information he had was that Tiffany was rushed to the Mbabane Clinic
by her mother who had received a call in the afternoon that her daughter was in
a critical condition.
However, another version is that she was rushed there by a well-known Mbabane
socialite.
"When she got to the Clinic she was quickly attended to, but succumbed to death
as she was certified dead between 15-30 minutes later," a devastated Zwane said.
The uncle said after being certified dead, Tiffany was then taken to the Mbabane
Burial Benefit Society mortuary where she is currently being kept.
Revealed
He further revealed that the suicide act unfolded at Tiffany’s rented flat as
she had reportedly moved out of the home she shared with her grandmother at
Fonteyn in Mbabane.
"I don’t know where the house she stayed in is located because I’ve just
returned to the country in the last two weeks," Zwane said.
Tiffany’s grandmother said she was still not ready to make a comment.
She referred further inquiries to Tiffany’s mother whom she said had gone to
the Mbabane Clinic to meet with the doctor who had attended to the late beauty.
However, the mother also refused to comment as she asked the grandmother to
refer questions to Zwane.
Tiffany was crowned Miss Swaziland on the night of July 26, 2008 at a glittering
ceremony held at the Royal Swazi Sun Convention Centre in Ezulwini.
She won a grand prize of a yellow Fordka worth E30 000.
Her reign will be remembered mostly by the run-ins she had with organisers of
the Miss Swaziland Beauty Pageant as she would sometimes disappear without a
trace.
A week before she stepped down from the throne, Tiffany, in an exclusive
interview with the Times Sunday Style section, said she regretted ever being
Miss Swaziland.
She thanked God that time had come to relinquish the crown, which she said had
brought her a lot of stress so much that at some point "I thought I was really
going crazy".
She described the title as nothing, but a liability to her as she had never
benefitted from it.