PICTURE: Man who committed suicide after being accused of stealing car battery

HARARE – Warren Park residents on Saturday woke up to the gory sight of a man hanging by a wire in the Warren Hills cemetery following a small dispute with his sister.

Tinashe Muchenje (27) hung himself over a car battery that he had allegedly stolen from his sister and did not take being questioned over the battery very well.

The deceased had moved out of his parents’ home because of misunderstandings with his mother over similar petty offences like taking money and going AWOL for days, and drunkenness.

After visiting the suicide scene and talking to Tinashe’s step father and some of his neighbours in Warren Park, journalists went to his sister’s house in 145 street, Warren Park D and she narrated the events leading to the suicide, weeping half the time.

“We had a misunderstanding but it was not big,” said Bridget who is a mother of two.

“We actually had a party for my son and I was very close to Tinashe, we did everything together I was even asking him to prepare a speech for the party. But the truth is Tinashe anga ane musikanzwa yakawandisa (he was naughty).

“He left home because of misunderstandings with mom, so I said let me try and live with him as my brother,” said a sobbing Bridget.

“I loved my brother. Yesterday (Friday) he even came to town in the afternoon and I bought him clothes and told him they are for the party. He wanted shoes but I said, ‘I am not getting you shoes. I am getting you these clothes so you can look good at the party but you need to change your ways. I sent you to get money kwaMereki and you spent the money and came back after three days,’ I was basically asking him to change his ways.

“There is a letter he wrote me two weeks ago after we had come to a standstill and I was telling him to go back to mom. He was apologizing and promised to change. It was a two paged letter and we agreed that we were starting from scratch. I never knew it would end like this,” she sobbed again before continuing.

“So last night we were preparing for the party, as you can see all these groceries were for the party cause my son got 7A’s, 1B and 1C and is now doing lower 6 at Pamushana High so we had planned this for him on his return from school. The party was supposed to be today.

“But as we were cleaning the house I realized there was a car battery that I had in the house that had gone missing.

“I asked Tinashe, ‘Ko sekuru battery riripi?’ and he said I don’t know- he was drunk. I have a maid but she is too young to know anything about batteries. And besides her and my other child, I only stay with Tinashe as my husband, who had brought the battery does not stay here. And Tinashe is the only one who had a record.

“So I was disappointed and I told him nicely that we could not go on like this, after the party, he is going back to mom.

“That’s when he took his blankets cause he was sleeping in the lounge as we had visitors. It as round 10pm and he left. He then came back after a period but did not get into the house. He knocked at my younger son and asked for his belt through the window.

“I heard him from my bathroom window and asked him what he needed the belt for and he said he wanted to use it on his trousers. I told him to get it in the morning and to continue with whatever had been fastening his trousers the whole day.

“Then he said hamuchandiona (you won’t see me again).

“I said usatityisidzire (do not scare us). If we won’t see you again then get your clothes. This guy who was here (maybe a neighbour) said take him, he is drunk and I said no I won’t. You take him if you want. Mwana rudzii asingabvunzwe. He cannot be threatening us each time we ask when something goes missing. And that’s how Tinashe left.

“Then this morning (Saturday) as I was cleaning the veranda trying to get ready for the party and wondering why the people who were supposed to help me cook had not arrived, a group of people, led by baba Melisa, approached me.

“Baba Melisa instructed me to sit down before asking me to accompany him to the cemetery (it’s a walking distance)

“And when I got there… I could not get close to the scene and people asked me to sit down,” she wept in convulsions.

“When Tinashe was talking to me through the window, he was actually cutting the wire we use to dry our laundry as that is the wire he hung himself with.

“So was I wrong to ask him about the battery? Was I wrong?” wept Bridget.

“Maybe I should also die than to live the rest of my life thinking I caused my brother’s death and people asking me what I had done to him?” she lamented, briefly turning this reporter into a counsellor.

“When he did something wrong, he always disappeared for two or three days. Last time I sent him to get my money kwaMerek and he spent it and came after two days like I told you.

“Yesterday I had given him money for a haircut so he can look nice as my brother and uncle to the party boy. But this is what that party has turned into hanzvadzi…”

Other people who grew up with Tinashe said although he was a soft spoken young man, he had issues regarding his trustworthiness. His step father Enock Sambizi said Tinashe was a good boy, his delinquencies aside.

“He did his O’Level and passed and even did well at A”Level. He even became a teacher at Warren Park 6 Primary School. But madhiri manje, kukurumudza kuda kupfuma. He would lose all the jobs he got over trust issues. It is so sad that this had to happen,” he said.