A blind and mentally challenged man believed to have committed suicide last week, was laid to rest at Morwamosu village cemetery on Sunday amid murmurs of shock and disbelief by skeptical villagers.
As the family await the results of the post-mortem report and the 65-year-old man’s death remaining a subject of police investigations, it is suspected that the deceased may have been driven by loneliness to end his life.
On the fateful night, the deceased who did not have a family of his own had been alone inside his two and half house while his siblings were sleeping at their respective homes.
It is suspected that the man ended his life as he was frustrated by his ill-health and prolonged loneliness.
The Voice has learnt that it was a daily routine that the siblings, his elder brother aged 78 and sister aged 54 picked him up from home to spend the day with them and they would return him home later in the evening to sleep.
According to the police, on the Friday before his death, the deceased was at his sister’s place and she later took him to his place where she left him sleeping.
It is alleged that the siblings always left the house unlocked for the blind man to be able to use the toilet outside the house.
His body was discovered by his brother the following morning when he was to pick him up as usual.
Much to the shock of the brother, he found the deceased’s lifeless body hanging from the living room rafters, with a piece of wire around his neck.
Overwhelmed by the disturbing sight, the brother shouted for help and the neighbours responded to his call, crowding in the yard.
A close source disclosed that it was believed that the deceased used the bags of maize that were packed inside the house, to help him reach the rafters.
Mabutsane police Station Commander, Assistant Superintendent Sydney Mogajane, said the incident was reported to them on Saturday morning and that they were still investigating to establish what could have transpired.
“We are also shocked, considering the status of the deceased. We’re asking ourselves if indeed the man was capable of hanging himself. Only the investigations will reveal. It was difficult for the police to establish if there were people who might have previously visited the deceased’s yard since when they arrived neighbours had already gathered,” explained ASP Mogajane.
The concerned police officer further revealed that this year since January they recorded six suicide cases, same record for the whole of 2021 and only three incidents recorded in 2020.
