Homeless man throws self at train

By Whinsley Masara

A 34 year old homeless man from Tsholotsho allegedly committed suicide by throwing himself onto a railway line and was crushed by a train in Nyamandlovu. Kennias Nxumalo, who was popularly known as ‘Bhawu’ in the area, had allegedly previously hinted several times that he was going to take his own life one day.

His body was discovered on Saturday morning by a passerby a few metres from Nyamandlovu Railway Station.

National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) spokesperson Mr Nyasha Maravanyika confirmed the incident.

He said NRZ security officers and police attended the scene.

“We received news of the incident involving a man who was found dead at Nyamandlovu Railway Station. The incident was attended by our security and ZRP Nyamandlovu.

“At the moment, we cannot however, declare if it was suicide or an accident but investigations are underway,” he said.Mr Maravanyika said the NRZ was saddened by the incident.

“As NRZ we are very saddened by the incident. We appeal to members of the public to respect trains and not to play on the railway line because no one can win an argument with a train. People should not resort to committing suicide using trains.

“We are calling on members of the public to find better ways of solving their problems instead of taking their own lives. We also appeal to members of the public to seek counselling services. They should approach elderly people, the church and police’s public relations department for assistance,” he said.

A Tsholotsho businessperson who preferred anonymity said Nxumalo had previously threatened to commit suicide.

“On many occasions, I hired Bhawu to do some piece jobs for me at my business premises. Of late he was heard threatening to kill himself and telling people that he would disappear and they would not see him again.

Recently, he approached me, asking if I could hire him as a permanent bouncer for my night club. However, because he was not a permanent resident at Tsholotsho Business centre, I felt it was not safe to hire him permanently,” said the businessperson.

Last week, the now deceased threatened to go away and never come back but no-one thought he would kill himself.

“We thought he wanted to change the district for a while like he always did. If he met someone and they struck a deal, he would go to the next district around the province,” said a source. The Chronicle