Man hangs self with stockings in a toilet

A MAN hanged himself with a pair of stockings in a toilet after claiming that there were invisible beings stalking him, his family said.

Malcolln Tshuma, an Agritex official based in Nyamandlovu, allegedly committed suicide at about 4AM on Monday at his Pumula South home in Bulawayo.

Family spokesperson, Thembinkosi Nkala, said Tshuma had shown signs of distress a few days before his death.

"He disappeared on Wednesday last week and we couldn't locate him the whole day until we called him and he said he was lost but could not say where he was. His brother dispatched a team to search for him," she said.

"When they found him, he said he had forgotten where he was and could not trace his way back home. He said there were two male strangers following him."

Nkala said on the following day, Tshuma said his blood pressure was high and the family took him to hospital.

"The doctor said his sugar levels were high and gave him tablets. His condition got worse after taking tablets and we thought he had been given the wrong treatment," she said.

Tshuma's wife, Pretty, said her husband  appeared confused and wanted them to pray continuously.

"I didn't think he would commit suicide. He went to the toilet until we decided to check on him only to find him hanging from the roof. We struggled to open the door because he had tied the handle with a shoe lace," she said.

Police took Tshuma's body to the United Bulawayo Hospitals for postmortem. Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said Tshuma's death was being treated as suspected suicide