HIV+ man kills self on 2nd attempt

A 30-YEAR-OLD Bulilima man allegedly committed suicide by hanging due to alleged frustrations of living with HIV.

Fanuel Ncube of Tjabhoroma Village in Masendu Ward, first drank dip chemical in a botched suicide attempt two weeks ago.

Headman Mazwaligwe said Ncube finally succeeded in taking his life on Tuesday.

He said Ncube was found hanging from his bedroom hut by his aunt, Ms Mercy Sibanda.

"Ncube tested HIV positive two years back and he was on treatment all along until recently when he defaulted on his medication which caused his condition to deteriorate.

"Two weeks before hanging himself Ncube took a dip chemical and he drank it in a bid to end his life. His aunt MaSibanda who stayed with him found him while he was still alive and alerted other villagers who came to assist Ncube," he said.

The headman said Ncube told his relatives and village elders that he could not stomach living with HIV and he wanted to end his life.

He said Ncube's condition continued to worsen until the time he took his own life.

Headman Mazwaligwe said Ms Sibanda last saw her nephew alive on Monday evening.

"Ms Sibanda and Ncube retired to bed on Monday evening and the following day at around 6AM she went to the fields without checking on him. Ms Sibanda returned to her homestead around 2PM and realised that the goats were still penned.

"She called out for her nephew but he didn't respond. Ms Sibanda proceeded into his bedroom hut suspecting that something was wrong. She found her nephew hanging from the roof of his bedroom hut," he said.

Headman Mazwaligwe said it remains a concern that people still resorted to suicide in order to avoid dealing with their problems.

Recently, a 37-year-old Bulilima woman threw herself in a dam after testing HIV positive.

Belinda Ndlovu, from Nyabane area woke up in the middle of the night leaving her daughter asleep in their bedroom hut and went to a dam which is about 100 metres away and threw herself in.

The following morning her teenage daughter realised that her mother had disappeared and went to look for her, only to find the body in a dam.