By Whinsley Masara
An illegal fuel dealer from Bulawayo committed suicide allegedly after a row with his employer, police confirmed yesterday.
Passersby discovered the body of Tyson Nkomo (24) in Nketa 6 suburb yesterday morning.
He is suspected to have hanged himself from a tree in a park in the suburb on Monday night.
Nkomo was found wearing a red tracksuit with a thin piece of wire tied around his neck.
His sister, Ms Sibuthiwe Nkomo (39), said the family was shocked to hear Tyson had been found dead.
“We’re shocked and puzzled. We doubt he really committed suicide. He could have been hanged onto the branch which is too low for him to even stand upright. The scene looks suspicious for suicide. We suspect foul play.
“He was having problems with his employer who he was illegally selling fuel for. Last night, he stormed out of the house with a weapon. He wanted to fight his employer over unpaid commission but our brother, Thulani, followed him and stopped him. Thulani approached the man who had only employed him last week and he gave him Tyson’s part payment (figure not mentioned),” she said.
Later that night, Ms Nkomo said, Tyson stormed out of the house and never returned.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the incident. “I can confirm we received a report of a man who was found hanging in the Nketa 6 Suburb Park. We’re investigating the death of a man who was found hanging on a tree this morning (yesterday) in a suspected suicide case.
His body was found by passersby who identified him as a resident from houses near the park.
“We are encouraging members of the public to seek counselling when they are distressed rather than resorting to ending their lives. They should engage third parties to help them resolve their problems amicably,” she said.
Tyson’s body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for postmortem.
Ward 24 area councillor Mr Gideon Mangena urged residents to learn to resolve their problems amicably.
“Drugs and alcohol are a major driver of suicide cases and crime among youths in the city.
“People should seek counselling when burdened by stress instead of resorting to ending their lives,” he said.
Last week, a married ex-police officer residing at Ross Camp in Bulawayo allegedly committed suicide in Beitbridge after finding his girlfriend in bed with another man.
He allegedly drank poison in the border town last Tuesday morning.
Last month, an unidentified man allegedly hanged himself near the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds.
Police recently expressed concern over the increase in suicide cases in the country.
In 2016, 489 men committed suicide countrywide compared to 147 women while 348 men committed suicide in 2015 compared to 126 women. The Chronicle
