Tin Tin opens up on friend’s death
ACTRESS and radio personality Tinopona Katsande, popularly known as Tin Tin, has refuted claims that she had been using drugs after her brush with the law amid indications she had illegally transported the body of her friend who ‘suddenly’ died at her apartment late last month.
Katsande, who played Joyce Huni in the popular local soapie Studio 263, said a police search conducted at her home did not unearth any drugs.
In a statement yesterday, the actress said her deceased friend, Rebecca Chinyerere, "had serious medical problems and suffered from severe depression" emanating from toxic family relations.
Katsande said the deceased had collapsed at their family home a week earlier and received treatment at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
"She had been fighting a drug addiction problem exacerbated by traumatic family relationships and depression. To my knowledge she had abstained from drug intake for some time and was on a recovery path," she said.
Katsande said Chinyerere died at the actress' home after collapsing in the bathroom on June 23 and was pronounced dead on arrival at Kensington 24-hour emergency clinic in Harare before her burial in Guruve five days later.
“Becky contacted me and asked if she could visit for a couple of days with her two kids aged 13 and three, to get some relief from family stresses. I went to pick up Becky with the full agreement of her brother. We had so much fun during those two days," she said.
Katsande said Chinyerere collapsed and died in the bathroom.
Katsande claimed that she was forced to drive the corpse in her car after failing to reach Chinyerere's brother on the phone.
“With Becky’s phone having already died, the only way to inform her brother was to drive the corpse and the children to Belvedere. The brother refused to assist, or even to have his wife accompany us back to Pari (Parirenyatwa Hospital)," she said.
“Back at Parirenyatwa, we finally got the assistance of the doctor and the police. It was only then that the police spoke to Becky’s brother who finally came over for the statements to be completed. The body was taken to a funeral parlour.”
Katsande said she was appalled at how her late friend’s family tried to blame her for the death. She, however, said she was at peace with God because she was innocent.
Katsande was accused of overdosing her friend before transporting her body in a taxi, together with the deceased's two sons, without the knowledge of Chinyerere's family or notifying the police.
A family spokesperson, Ishmail Chinyerere, said they were shocked by Katsande's actions.