HIV+ woman drowns self

A WOMAN from Bulilima allegedly threw herself in a dam and drowned after being frustrated by living with HIV.

Chief Kandana said Belinda Ndlovu (37), who is from Nyabane area, allegedly defaulted on taking her medication and then committed suicide.

He said her condition worsened after she stopped taking her medication until she took her own life. Chief Kandana said the woman's body was found by her daughter in a dam on Wednesday morning.

"There is a woman from my area who threw herself into a dam which is in the area. It appears she was HIV positive but she recently defaulted on her medication and became critically ill. "This frustrated her because at one time her relatives caught her trying to drink a dipping chemical and when they asked she said she wanted to kill herself because her illness was unbearable. Her family says she was constantly making threats of ending her life," he said.

Chief Kandana said the woman woke up in the middle of the night on Monday and went to a dam which is about 100 metres away from her home.

She allegedly threw herself in and drowned.

The woman's 14-year-old daughter was sleeping in the same room with her mother but did not hear her leave the hut. The chief said on the following morning, the girl realised that her mother was not home and went to look for her.

"The teenager found her mother's body floating in the water at around 8AM and she alerted neighbours abou twhat had transpired. It's never wise for people to end their lives when they are going through challenges. Rather it's important for people to seek help and a support system," he said.

Chief Kandana said the incident had left villagers shocked as Ndlovu was a well known and respected woman in the community.