Form 2 pupil commits suicide over girlfriend

A 15-year-old Form Two pupil at Pumula High School in Bulawayo, who had been excluded from school at the end of the last term, has committed suicide after allegedly being dumped by his girlfriend.

Isaiah Sibanda of Magwegwe North suburb, was buried on Wednesday after he took his life on Boxing Day.

Chronicle reportedly visited the bereaved family's home and the pupil's uncle Lovemore Phiri spoke of a troubled pupil who had been at odds with himself.

He said Sibanda, whose parents are also late, had on some occasions threatened to leave home for South Africa.

Phiri said Isaiah was excluded from school last term for insulting his teachers, only to take his life allegedly following a problem with his girlfriend (name withheld).

He said on the fateful day, the boy came home at around 5PM complaining of stomach pains.

"We thought it was a just normal stomach pains until we realised that the situation was getting worse. We then called an ambulance and the boy died upon admission at Mpilo Central Hospital," said Phiri.

"Isaiah could have committed suicide because his girlfriend dumped him. I don't understand why he killed himself because he had another girlfriend living across our street."

The boy's elder brother, Ian, said Isaiah was excluded from school sometime last term for insulting his teachers.

"Isaiah was no longer going to school after he was excluded for insulting two school teachers. He was supposed to be doing Form Three this year. He always talked about leaving for South Africa. No one thought he could commit suicide," said Ian.

Before his death, Isaiah is said to have gone to a neighbour's house asking for pain killers saying he had a headache. He was then given money to buy the pills.

The neighbour, Dumisani Ndlovu, said the boy later visited again asking for food and it is suspected that he had purchased rat poison which he put into the food.

"Isaiah came to my house and asked for painkillers. I gave him $5 to buy pain killers because I had run short of them. He used R6 and came back with the rest of my change." said Ndlovu.

"Isaiah asked for sadza and I gave him. I was doing my laundry not concentrating on what the boys were doing. I suspect he put the pills in the sadza because when I got out he told his friend Meluleki not tell me what he had done."

Ndlovu said Meluleki later told him that his friend had put poison in his own food.

The neighbour called Isaiah's uncle, brother, and girlfriend to question him, but he denied taking poison.

"He only revealed that he had taken poison when he was in the ambulance," added Ndlovu.

There has been an upsurge of school going children committing suicide in the city.

Two months ago, a Grade 7 pupil at Senzangakhona Primary School committed suicide by hanging in his mother's bedroom using a scarf. In August, a pupil from the same school hanged herself from a tree at her family home.