Danisa Masuku
A man from Old Lobengula suburb left his children and relatives shocked after he decided to cut short his life by committing suicide in his bedroom while his wife was in town.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident. He advised community members to seek advice from relatives, pastors, police’s Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) rather than to take their own lives.
A family spokesperson, Noel Mugadza narrated the tragic sequence of details of Edmore Runganga’s death.
“Edmore was 45 years old and he was my nephew. He was in the process of building his house in Cowdray Park. He ran out of money and had to borrow a hefty loan from a loan shark to finish up his house,” said the heartbroken Mugadza.
He expected to get money from a relative who is based in Canada to pay back the loan but things did not go according to the plan.
“A relative had promised to assist him with funds, unfortunately she fell sick and failed to help him. Sadly, he failed to raise the money to pay back the loan and the loan shark ended up selling his fridge and a motorcycle that was attached as a collateral to recover the money,” he added.
He said the debt caused a strain in his marriage and he suffered depression. Depression took its toll on him and he thought the only way to escape it was by commuting suicide,” said Mugadza.
He said Edmore left a note which stated that he took his life because he lost his property to a loan shark and his marriage was on the rocks.
Mugadza could not be drawn to reveal how much his nephew had borrowed.
