By Nokuthaba Dlamini
A 24-year-old man from Nkayi district was yesterday morning found dead along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo highway a few hours after he had been discharged from Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo where he was being treated for an undisclosed ailment.
The deceased who has been identified as Gift Sibanda from Somthanyelo village under Chief Sikhobokhobo was discovered by one Sergeant Beta Mere at around 9:25 AM.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the incident saying the police officer stumbled upon the deceased at the 32 kilometre peg in the Nyamandlovu area.
“The sergeant noticed the deceased lying facing upwards about 1, 5 meters from the road, on the right side of the road and he decided to stop and check if there was a problem,” she said.
“As he drew closer, he realised that he had been deceased and he started searching in his clothes to find out if he had details that could lead to his identification and he found a hospital book that had his name and all the details.
“The man had previously gone to seek medical treatment on Wednesday at St Lukes hospital and according to the medical report, he was referred to Mpilo Central hospital the following day and it showed that he had visited the hospital at around 8 AM before being released.”
He did not have any medication with him, except the prescription written in his medical book.
Makonese said the police were investigating how the 24-year-old ended up in Nyamandlovu.
His time of death is still unknown.
“After finding all the medical details, the sergeant immediately notified Nyamandlovu police station who also attended the scene. It was concluded that there was no suspicion of foul play or accident related death so the matter was treated as sudden death due to illness.”
The Police, however, did not disclose what the deceased was suffering from.
His body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) mortuary and his next of kin have since been informed.
