BOY (12) HANGS HIMSELF WITH BELT

SITEKI – A family is grief-stricken after their 12-year-old son allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a waist belt.

The tragic incident, which has left both the peers of the boy and the community shocked, occurred a week ago at Maphungwane area near Siteki.
The boy was a Grade IV pupil at Mphundle Primary, a rural school situated in the same area.

His body was found hanging from the rafters of one of the houses at his parental homestead, said community members who were first to arrive at the scene.
“His mother, together with other family members, were roasting mealies outside when one of the children went into the house and made the gruesome discovery. Looking at the scene, it’s like he stepped on one of the sofas and then hanged himself from the rafters,” said a community member, who visited the scene.

It is still unclear what could have led the boy to take his own life and police have said they are still investigating the matter.
“The matter was reported to us as a sudden death and not as a suicide but we have launched an investigation with the aim of establishing what exactly the cause of death was,” said Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba.

It could not be ascertained whether a post mortem has been conducted.
However, community leaders, who also arrived at the scene, confirmed to this publication that indeed the boy was found hanging from the rafters. Matsanjeni North Constituency Headman (Indvuna yeNkhundla) Boy Matsenjwa said he arrived at the scene even before the police arrived.

“The family told us that he had not showed any signs of being suicidal and that he had not complained of any ill-treatment or stress,” said Matsenjwa.
He added that prior to his death, the boy was sent to a nearby grocery shop by his mother to buy some items.

He said the boy went to the shop and returned home with all the items without complaining or showing signs of depression.
“His mother had also gone somewhere and she was following him as he walked towards home from the shop,” he stated.
The family of the boy could not be reached for comment at the time of compiling this report yesterday afternoon.

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