10-year-old Bulawayo girl hangs self

In a bizarre incident, a 10 YEAR-OLD girl from Bulawayo's Emganwini suburb allegedly hanged herself from a mango tree this afternoon.

However, the girl's relatives suspect foul play in the death that has shocked the suburb.

Police have identified the child as Buhle Mulaudzi a Grade Five pupil at Senzangakhona Primary School.

Neighbours told Bulawayo24 News Buhle is suspected to have hanged herself at about 3pm.

A motive for the suicide has not been established.

"Children who were playing outside came shouting that Buhle was dead and we thought they were joking, as we do not expect children to know about death," said a neighbour.

"She looked like she was still breathing but by the time we raised the alarm she was dead. Her sister Mimi untied her from the tree. It was heartbreaking to watch her sobbing as she begged her sister to breathe."

Residents complained that police took more than three hours to collect the body.
Her teachers said Buhle was a happy child who did not seem to have problems.
"We are in shock and we do not know how to take the bad news. She was a cheerful member of the class," said a teacher.

The child's relatives told police they suspected someone had killed her.

"They said her body was still warm when they found her and said the tree on which she was found hanging was too short. They said there was no reason on earth that they could think of which could have led their child to kill herself," said a police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The child's relatives declined to speak to this reporter saying they had had enough of the Press for one day.