Prophet attempts suicide as 'small house' elopes

A Zvishavane man attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat with an Okapi knife after his "small house" eloped with another man.

The man had for the past two years been paying rent for the woman's lodgings in Mandava high-density suburb.

The man, identified as Mr Francis Chiduku, a well known "prophet" of the Johane Masowe sect, is reportedly nursing a deep cut wound.

The man was only saved by neighbours who managed to disarm him.

The incident, which is now the talk of the asbestos mining town, happened on Tuesday last week.

According to eye witnesses and relatives, Mr Chiduku, who resides in Highlands suburb with his family, broke into Miss Marian Shanga's lodgings and tried to commit suicide when he found a note on her bed which stated that she had eloped with another man.

"Madzibaba Chiduku had been paying rent for Marian for the past two years and his wife once came and confronted Marian because Madzibaba Chiduku was spending more time with her," said another witness.

The witnesses said Madzibaba Chiduku could not stomach the idea of Marian marrying another man hence his decision to commit suicide.

"Madzibaba Chiduku came on Monday evening from work as usual to visit his small house but he found the door locked. He came back on Tuesday and the room was still locked and he decided to break into the room.

"When he gained entry, he found a note left by Marian on the bed stating that she had eloped with another man she intended to marry," said another witness.

The witness said Madzibaba Chiduku then decided to kill himself with an Okapi knife.

"He cut his throat with a knife but strangely he started screaming, attracting the attention of neighbours who rushed to the room and found blood gushing out from the wound. The neighbours managed to disarm him as he attempted to stab himself for the second time," said another witness.
The witness said those who disarmed him had to wrestle with him for close to 10 minutes and one of them was injured in the process.

"One of the people was injured on both hands in the process of disarming Madzibaba Chiduku," said another witness who said he was related Madzibaba Chiduku.

They said Madzibaba Chiduku was later taken to Zvishavane District Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
"He is, however, still under close guard of his friends as they fear he might again decide to commit suicide.

Efforts to get a comment from Mr Chiduku were fruitless yesterday.

Miss Shanga, however, denied that she eloped with another man.

"I did not elope with another man and I have never been Mr Chiduku's 'small house' as alleged. The truth is that Mr Chiduku only volunteered to assist me as an elder at our church. He was just assisting me after I told him of my problems," she said.

She confirmed that Madzibaba Chiduku was paying rent for her but denied that the two were lovers.

"What I can confirm is that recently Mr Chiduku proposed love to me and I turned him down. This is the reason why I have since left the room he was renting for me," she said.

Witnesses, however, said Mr Chiduku had been sleeping in Miss Marian's one-oom more often, a confirmation that the two were lovers.