'Poor' man attempts suicide after lover falls pregnant

A MAN from Tshabalala suburb in Bulawayo cheated death in a double suicide attempt, leaving a knife lodged in his neck in a bid to evade responsibility after his girlfriend told him that she was pregnant.

Roy Masopo (29), who is still hospitalised, unsuccessfully tried to hang himself at the family house in Tshabalala last Sunday at around 10PM.

After that he stabbed himself once in the neck with a knife, which was only removed after he was admitted to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).

His grandmother, only identified as Mrs Soko, said her grandson was alone in the room when he attempted to take his own life, but declined to say much about the hanging incident.

Mrs Soko said after the hanging attempt failed, her grandson went and sat outside the house.

She said she was called by neighbours only to be told that Masopo had stabbed himself.

"Roy was in his room when he attempted to hang himself but failed. He then took a kitchen knife and stabbed himself once in the neck and the knife broke," Mrs Soko said. Masopo was rushed to the UBH by his friends who were called by the family.

Mrs Soko said the knife was successfully removed from his neck and he is still admitted at the hospital.

She said her grandson had been told by his girlfriend that she was pregnant.

"Roy said that he's stressed and poor and it was better for him to end his life," said Mrs Soko.

A friend who spoke on condition of anonymity said they rushed him to the hospital after being called by Masopo's family members.

"We were at Hlanganani cocktail bar when we received the news that Roy had stabbed himself.

We rushed to his place where the family was still waiting for the ambulance to ferry him to hospital but it was taking too long, that's when we rushed him to UBH in a kombi," said one of his friends.