News / Regional
Bible clutching man throws self into river
12 Sep 2015 at 08:46hrs | Views
A MAN from Mbembesi, suspected to be possessed by evil spirits, committed suicide by throwing himself into a river while clutching a Bible. This was allegedly after his aunt refused to cut his hair as instructed by his late father.
Scores of villagers in the St Elizabeth area in Insuza under Chief Mtshana Khumalo, failed to save Ralph Ngwenya, 24, when he suddenly went berserk, ran towards Mbembesi river and jumped in, in full view of the villagers on Wednesday. Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the incident yesterday.
"Ngwenya, who was staying with his aunt Clare Sibanda, suddenly ran amok on Wednesday morning and started behaving in a strange manner. "His aunt phoned her husband who works in Bulawayo and informed him about what was happening to their nephew. Sibanda arrived at the homestead at about 11AM from Bulawayo. When Ngwenya saw him, he ran towards Mbembesi river and jumped in," said Insp Makonese.
She said a report was made to the police and Ngwenya's body was retrieved from the river.
A villager, only identified as MaMpofu who witnessed the incident, told The Chronicle that Ngwenya woke up at about 4AM on Wednesday and asked his aunt to cut his hair.
"His aunt refused to cut his hair and told him to go back to sleep but he insisted, saying his late father who died 11 years ago had instructed him to cut his hair. He continued pestering his aunt until he broke her bedroom window.
"Shocked by the weird instruction and her nephew's strange behaviour, Sibanda called her neighbours who helped her tie him up with ropes to try and calm him down," said MaMpofu.
She added that Ngwenya started shouting at the neighbours and told them to leave their homestead. He insisted that his hair had to be cut to honour his father's instructions.
"He managed to untie the ropes and started shouting that he was ready to be 'taken away'. When his uncle arrived from Bulawayo, he went haywire and ran towards the river with a Bible in his hands and the villagers in hot pursuit.
"He threw himself into the river and drowned while we were watching. I think he was possessed by an evil spirit," said MaMpofu.
She said a few villagers jumped into the river and tried to retrieve the body but they failed and called the police.
Scores of villagers in the St Elizabeth area in Insuza under Chief Mtshana Khumalo, failed to save Ralph Ngwenya, 24, when he suddenly went berserk, ran towards Mbembesi river and jumped in, in full view of the villagers on Wednesday. Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the incident yesterday.
"Ngwenya, who was staying with his aunt Clare Sibanda, suddenly ran amok on Wednesday morning and started behaving in a strange manner. "His aunt phoned her husband who works in Bulawayo and informed him about what was happening to their nephew. Sibanda arrived at the homestead at about 11AM from Bulawayo. When Ngwenya saw him, he ran towards Mbembesi river and jumped in," said Insp Makonese.
She said a report was made to the police and Ngwenya's body was retrieved from the river.
A villager, only identified as MaMpofu who witnessed the incident, told The Chronicle that Ngwenya woke up at about 4AM on Wednesday and asked his aunt to cut his hair.
"Shocked by the weird instruction and her nephew's strange behaviour, Sibanda called her neighbours who helped her tie him up with ropes to try and calm him down," said MaMpofu.
She added that Ngwenya started shouting at the neighbours and told them to leave their homestead. He insisted that his hair had to be cut to honour his father's instructions.
"He managed to untie the ropes and started shouting that he was ready to be 'taken away'. When his uncle arrived from Bulawayo, he went haywire and ran towards the river with a Bible in his hands and the villagers in hot pursuit.
"He threw himself into the river and drowned while we were watching. I think he was possessed by an evil spirit," said MaMpofu.
She said a few villagers jumped into the river and tried to retrieve the body but they failed and called the police.
Source - chronicle
