Police take 5hrs to attend to body of man hanging on tree

Police in Bulawayo reportedly took over 5 hour to attend to the body of a man who hung himself on a tree in Iminyela suburb.

The man, Michael Foto, who was employed as a kombi driver was found hanging on a tree at his former residence around 5:45am on Monday, the Chronicle reported.

According to eyewitnesses the police were informed about the situation around 6am but attend the scene 5 hours later.

A neighbour claimed to have reported the incident to West Commonage Police after his daughter discovered the body.

"My daughter saw him as she was preparing to bath at 05:45AM. It was still dark and she could not readily ascertain whether he was dead or alive. She just said she was afraid to use the bathroom as there was someone under the tree," said the neighbour.

He added: "I used my cellphone's torch and discovered it was Foto. I then rushed to  Station to report the matter."

Another resident said Foto slept at his friend's house and left at about 2AM saying he was travelling to Harare.

Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA), Iminyela chairperson, Victor Mpofu said it was unfortunate that people with problems were resorting to committing suicide instead of seeking help from fellow residents.

"In any given society there are bound to be conflicts but what is important is for people to engage each other. They should seek counselling services rather than taking their lives ," said Mpofu.

He called on the police to swiftly act when someone hangs himself in public.

Police are said to have taken five hours to respond to Foto's hanging report.

His body was removed after 11AM when a large crowd had already gathered.