News / Regional
Man crushed to death by a train
16 May 2014 at 01:35hrs | Views
Police officers console the late Pride Oliver Mandava's aunt at the scene where he allegedly committed suicide in Ntabazinduna yesterday
A 21-YEAR OLD male recruit prison officer was yesterday crushed to death by a train in Ntabazinduna in a suspected suicide case after dismissal from the service for alleged misconduct.
Relatives identified him as Pride Mandava, age not given, from Harare, and suspected he threw himself in front of a moving train out of frustration over the sacking.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) spokesperson for Matabeleland region, Senior Prison Officer Bothwell Bosha, confirmed that Mandava and his friend Tatenda Mahati were dismissed from the service for misconduct on Wednesday.
The duo allegedly stole their colleagues' ATM cards and withdrew $600 from their bank accounts recently.
"After their dismissal they were given transport from Natabazinduna to Bulawayo so that they could go to their respective homes. Mandava was supposed to go to Harare while his friend was supposed to go Mutare," said Bosha without elaborating.
It is believed Mandava was crushed by the train in the early hours of the day.
A Chronicle news crew met Mandava's aunt who had come to identify the body at the scene of the accident at around midday.
She broke down as she stared at her nephew's lifeless body with its head crushed on the railway line.
Villagers who spotted the body and reported the matter to the police had removed Mandava's trousers and used it to cover his head.
The aunt, who declined to be named as she is a serving ZPCS officer, said Mandava and his friend came to her house on Wednesday evening and told her that they had been fired.
"He came to my house yesterday at about 7PM and told me that they had been dismissed. He left my house as someone accompanying his friend with whom they had been expelled together but never came back," she said.
"I never thought that would lead to this. We had spoken about his hearing and I told him that being expelled did not mean the end of the road."
At the scene of the accident was an empty bottle of Hunters Dry cider, a Two Keys whiskey bottle and dagga.
An investigating police officer attended the scene while the National Railways of Zimbabwe spokesperson Fanuel Masikati said he was yet to receive a report of the incident.
Relatives identified him as Pride Mandava, age not given, from Harare, and suspected he threw himself in front of a moving train out of frustration over the sacking.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) spokesperson for Matabeleland region, Senior Prison Officer Bothwell Bosha, confirmed that Mandava and his friend Tatenda Mahati were dismissed from the service for misconduct on Wednesday.
The duo allegedly stole their colleagues' ATM cards and withdrew $600 from their bank accounts recently.
"After their dismissal they were given transport from Natabazinduna to Bulawayo so that they could go to their respective homes. Mandava was supposed to go to Harare while his friend was supposed to go Mutare," said Bosha without elaborating.
It is believed Mandava was crushed by the train in the early hours of the day.
A Chronicle news crew met Mandava's aunt who had come to identify the body at the scene of the accident at around midday.
Villagers who spotted the body and reported the matter to the police had removed Mandava's trousers and used it to cover his head.
The aunt, who declined to be named as she is a serving ZPCS officer, said Mandava and his friend came to her house on Wednesday evening and told her that they had been fired.
"He came to my house yesterday at about 7PM and told me that they had been dismissed. He left my house as someone accompanying his friend with whom they had been expelled together but never came back," she said.
"I never thought that would lead to this. We had spoken about his hearing and I told him that being expelled did not mean the end of the road."
At the scene of the accident was an empty bottle of Hunters Dry cider, a Two Keys whiskey bottle and dagga.
An investigating police officer attended the scene while the National Railways of Zimbabwe spokesperson Fanuel Masikati said he was yet to receive a report of the incident.
Source - chronicle
