South African man dies in Zimbabwe 'by suicide'

MYSTERY surrounds the death of a South African man who was found hanging from a tree in Zimbabwe on New Year's Day, with his family saying they do not believe he died by suicide but that he was murdered.

Sowetan has learnt that Thabang Mokonyane, 23, from Mokopane, in Limpopo, had gone to Lutumba near Beitbridge in Zimbabwe on December 30 to make amends with Khathutshelo Mbedzi, who was his girlfriend and the mother of his three-year-old child.

The couple had broken up in July.

Mokonyane's family also claims no knowledge about his trip, as they were under the impression that he did not possess a passport. According to them, he had left Mokopane to sell nuts in Polokwane.

However, they were shocked to receive a call from Mbedzi that their son had died by suicide. They were also sent pictures of the scene where he allegedly died.

"We don't believe what we saw in that picture … his feet are touching the ground while they say he hanged himself. Parts of the rope he allegedly used are also loosely grounded near his feet.

"If he had hanged himself, he would have turned and kicked [the air], so we don't understand how the rope is on the feet. We want officials to investigate if he died by suicide or if he was murdered. This is the answer we would seek after his burial," said his aunt Evan Mongwe.

Mongwe said Mokonyane's pants along the knees were dirty as if he had been kneeling before he died. She said they were also surprised to learn that Mbedzi was from Zimbabwe, as they assumed she was from Venda.

"We are suspicious, but we are told that he died by suicide; we are only accepting this version because we want to be assisted with repatriating his body," said Mongwe.

"We are suspicious, but we are told that he died by suicide; we are only accepting this version because we want to be assisted with repatriating his body."

Mbedzi and Mokonyane had been dating since 2022 and when they broke up last year, she left their child with Mokonyane's family in December before she went home for the festive holidays.

Mbedzi told Sowetan yesterday that she became aware on December 31 that Mokonyane was in Zimbabwe when her siblings called her.

"I told my brother to call my father because Thabang and I were no longer together; we were always arguing. He didn't tell me that he was coming to my parents' house and I just got a call that he was there," she said.

Mbedzi said her father and Mokonyane spoke for hours until it became late and that her father offered him a room to sleep in, and he was expected to leave the next day.

The following day she went to his room but said she realised he wasn't there.

"Someone came and told me that there is a person that had killed himself outside our yard. I went to the scene and that is when I saw Thabang had hung himself," she said.

Mongwe said the family cannot afford to repatriate Mokonyane from Zimbabwe and that nobody in the family has a passport to go to Zimbabwe to fetch the body.

"Thabang's mother was only able to apply for a passport on Monday through the help of a good Samaritan whom we met in town after he heard us crying. We don't even know when she will get the passport," said Mongwe.

She added that the ordeal has left them heartbroken.

"We don't know what to do. As we speak, we have two elderly sick people, his grandparents. His mother is unemployed; hence, we are asking for any type of assistance. We would be happy to have the body repatriated," she said.

A Zimbabwe police official who has been in communication with both families said that investigations are still in progress.

Zimbabwe police spokesperson Paul Nyathi had not responded to Sowetan inquiry at the time of going to print last night.

The Forum for SA has called on all relevant law enforcement and consular services to intervene without delay, assist the family with repatriation processes, and ensure that the circumstances of the death are properly attended to.

Department of international relations and cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said his department was not aware of the incident and they could not assist the family financially due to a non-financial consular policy.