Cases on Easter weekend
Meanwhile, last month, a pupil aged 14, of the same school, committed suicide after her guardians reportedly informed her that they could not fund her school fees. The incident reportedly happened at Lanjana, Siphofaneni. Siphiwe Shongwe, who is the grandmother to Lindokuhle Shongwe, said the Form II pupil of Siphofaneni High School took her own life.
Leading to her demise, Siphiwe said the 14-yearold had returned home from school late and when she questioned her about where Lindokuhle had been, she told her that she had been cleaning the hall at school as part of a punishment for making noise.
Siphiwe said she did not want to believe this and pressured the minor to expand as she suspected that there was a possibility that she could have been sexually violated and threatened with death.
Meanwhile, the police reported that on Sunday, a fire incident was reported at Bhunya at around 10am. A 76-year-old woman, Thembi Sallinah Msibi, died in the fire that destroyed her house at Mangcongco.
One of her relatives discovered her body, which was burned beyond recognition, on Sunday morning. While the cause of the fire is unknown, her family members suspect that it could have been a burning candle or a cigarette.
A visit by this publication to the Msibi homestead gathered that the elderly woman was staying in a one-room stick-and-mud house, about 200 metres from the main Msibi homestead.
The elderly woman was reportedly staying with her son, who had a hut next to hers. The son was purportedly attending the Easter services at Lobamba. Themba Msibi, the deceased’s nephew, disclosed that one of the children had gone to the deceased’s house to bring her food, as they usually did at all meal times.
Ashes
“She entered the house and found ashes of my aunt. She immediately informed me and I went to check, only to find that she had burnt to ashes,” Themba narrated. He elaborated that he called the police, who later arrived on Sunday afternoon. The family member suspected that the elderly woman might have been smoking and accidentally dropped a lit matchstick, which could have set her bed alight. He supposed that since the deceased was wheelchair-bound, she could not move herself away, and was consequently burnt in the fire. He also suspected
that the fire could have been started by a burning candle. Themba disclosed that the elderly woman was survived by five children.
“It is an extremely difficult moment for us as a family, as we have lost an elder of the family,” Themba said. He said funeral arrangements were underway. Also, on Sunday, a drowning incident occurred at Lomahasha at 3pm when a male aged 32 years from Shewula drowned in the Black Mbuluzi River.
Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the cases. She said the survivors reported the cases to the police and investigations had ensued.
Mnguni said they were yet to make an arrest. On the other hand, she commended the survivors for reporting their ordeals so that the perpetrators are brought to book. She further confirmed the deaths recorded over the weekend.