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SHOCK AS BOY (12) HANGS HIMSELF

By BONGIWE DLAMINI | 2024-07-01

A 12-year-old boy has died allegedly by suicide, leaving his family shell-shocked.

Savior Mziyako was found hanging from the rafters of one of the houses at his paternal homestead at KaNdeva area, under Pigg’s Peak Constituency. The incident happened at around 11am on Saturday.

According to Savior’s grandmother Delisile Khumalo, the passing on of her grandson was sudden.

It left them with a lot of questions.

Prior to the incident, Khumalo stated that her grandson, who was doing Grade VII in one of the schools around Pigg’s Peak, appeared to be his normal self.

Thanking

She said at around 9am, Savior called his mother on the phone, thanking her for some money she had sent for him to pay for an educational school trip to the national museum at Lobamba.

Khumalo said Savior’s mother had sent the money through her (Khumalo) mobile money account. As the two conversed, Khumalo recalled that her grandson’s mother asked how he was going to get pocket money for the day of the school trip, and he told her that he would get some from his father and Khumalo. Savior was supposed to pay for the trip at his school today.

“He seemed fine, neither did he complain about anything. He also did not confide in anyone about any problem,” stated the sombre Khumalo.

At about 11am on Saturday, she said when she left home for church, Savior was in the main house watching cartoons as always. Sadly, before she could even reach her church, Khumalo said she received a phone call and was informed about the sad news.

“What I gathered when I got home is that Savior left the house as if he was going to the toilet. No one noticed that he had taken too long without returning, so those who were home called out his name numerous times with no response,” narrated Khumalo.

She added that another child (11) who was aware that Savior was being sought went to a detached room used as a kitchen and found his body dangling from the rafters.

“Savior was short, so he placed a bucket on a bed that is in the kitchen so that he could reach the rafters from which he hung himself.

“The other child, oblivious that Savior had passed away, climbed on the same bucket and took down his body before calling for his uncles to the scene,” relayed Khumalo.

Despite being petite, Savior is believed to have managed to tie a tight knot on the rope he used to hang himself. His grandmother said the knot was so tight, that it was only untied by the police who were called to the scene.

In a different incident that happened at Msumpe area last Wednesday, a 19-year-old girl also took her own life by supposedly ingesting the lethal Masta 900 pesticide. Sources close to the matter alleged that *Rose, who was still school-going, fled from her parental homestead and went to live with her boyfriend who is employed as a security guard for days.

When her family learned of her whereabouts, sources said they went to her school to report the matter to school authorities in her presence. It is suspected that Rose felt humiliated by her family’s manner in dealing with the matter, so she went back to her lover’s place and ingested the pesticide, which claimed her life.

Both suicide cases were confirmed by acting Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni.

*Not real name

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