By Andile Tshuma
A 23-YEAR-OLD student at Hillside Teachers’ College in Bulawayo allegedly committed suicide by throwing herself into Hillside Dams where she drowned.
Ms Nokulunga Ngwenya of Bulawayo’s Mpopoma suburb who left a suicide note saying her family would find her at Hillside Dams, had, according to sources, been diagnosed with cancer.
A man who was taking his dogs for a walk discovered Ms Ngwenya’s body floating in the dam during the early hours of Monday.
Family members had since Friday last week been searching for her after stumbling on her suicide note which she left at home under her cellphone on Thursday.
When she did not return home on the day she left the suicide note, family members reported her missing to the police but were advised to wait for 48 hours.
The family members however decided to conduct the search on their own at the Hillside Dams which was her favourite hang out but all was in vain.
It was not until Monday that the man who was taking his dogs for a walk discovered the body floating in the dam.
Sources said when the body was retrieved, it had a purse filled with stones tied around the neck.
Ms Ngwenya was back at the college after her Teaching Practice at Eveline High School.
A family member who only identified himself as Ms Ngwenya’s uncle told The Chronicle that she went missing on Thursday last week prompting family members to report her missing to the police and subsequently conducting a search for her.
“She left a suicide note saying we should look for her at Hillside Dams. We are shocked and devastated as a family because she was almost done with her studies and she did not seem like a troubled person. We are waiting for a post mortem report because we strongly suspect foul play,” said the uncle.
A Hillside Dams official declined to comment and referred questions to the police.
Bulawayo Police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident.
“We received information on a sudden death by drowning at Hillside dams. We identified the deceased as a 23-year-old female Hillside Teachers’ College student,” said Asst Insp Ncube.
Sources said Ms Ngwenya probably failed to come to terms with her health condition hence she committed suicide.
An aunt who only chose to be identified as Fiso said the family was bitter about the way police had handled the matter.
“We accept that our daughter is dead, however we are disappointed at the treatment that we received from Hillside Police Station.
“We told them about the suicide note and that Nokulunga said we would find her at the dam.
“They told us there was nothing they could do and we should return to the station after two days. They told us to tell them when we heard that a body had been found,” said Fiso.
She said they believed as a family that had the police acted promptly, they could have probably saved Ms Ngwenya’ life if indeed she committed suicide. The Chronicle
