A family in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North, is demanding answers following the mysterious death of their 21-year-old son, who allegedly committed suicide shortly after being released from police custody.
The deceased, identified as Dawson Ndlovu, was buried last Wednesday, with relatives expressing deep concern over the unclear circumstances surrounding his death.
According to an admission-of-guilt receipt seen by CITE, Ndlovu was arrested on 30 September for disorderly conduct in a public place and fined US$30. The receipt confirming payment was later found in his pocket.
After his release from police custody, Dawson’s lifeless body was found on 2 October hanging from a tree.
Dawson’s brother, Albert Ndlovu, said the police informed the family that his brother had been arrested for causing a public nuisance while drinking with friends.
“The police told us Dawson was with his friends drinking and they made public nuisance, he was arrested. A neighbour, a retired police officer, paid a fine for him the following day in the morning but he was not immediately released as they said the person responsible for writing the receipt was in a meeting. They released him around 1pm and they claimed he went to the shops to watch soccer while drinking again with his friends, the police were also there,” he said.
Albert said the family was troubled by inconsistencies in the police version of events.
“We were told that his other friends who were arrested with him were taken to court, so we wonder if he found other friends to drink with the same day. What worries us as a family is that the police knew him, they drank and played soccer with him, why are they not telling us who he was with the day he was released as they were also there and saw him?” he asked.
Community members allegedly told the family that Dawson was last seen in the company of police officers and that there had been a disagreement over a soccer match.
“When asking people around Nyamandlovu they are telling us that he was last seen with the police officers. We were also told that they had a clash over soccer issues. Our mother’s homestead is close by, the police know it, as even the ground they use to play soccer is near. Why didn’t they alert the family?” said Albert.
He added that the police informed them they had removed Dawson’s body from the tree where he was found hanging but failed to contact the family before taking his body to the mortuary.
“They knew him and where he stayed, so why didn’t they call us? They even took him to the mortuary without alerting the family. All these issues make us have questions,” Albert said.
He said his brother had not shown any signs of distress before his arrest and left no suicide note.
“We last saw him after soccer training. No one saw him being arrested or released. The police say they released him because he had good behaviour — but who was he arrested with? They won’t tell us,” he said.
“He had no money, so who was he drinking with after being released? We have too many unanswered questions as a family.”
Albert also alleged that police brought a coffin to collect the body without the family’s consent and that the postmortem process was unusually rushed.
“Even the postmortem results were rushed. We were told that you can’t get the results over the weekend, but the police managed to get them. We are confused as a family,” he said.
Dawson’s uncle, Memo Ncube, said the same officers who arrested the young man were the first to find his body.
“As a family, we were only shown pictures from a phone. In one of the pictures, he had shoe laces, but in another, the laces were missing. Even the tree he allegedly hanged himself from raises questions. The police never called us to the scene. We are devastated, he was young, and this death doesn’t make sense to us,” he said.
Sources close to the case said Ndlovu was well-known in the area and often played soccer with police officers from the local station.
“His mother’s homestead was close to the place of the incident, they could have informed the parents to attend the scene. We are shocked. They knew this boy very well. The way they attended the scene is very suspicious,” said one source.
Another villager questioned the state of the photographs they were shown.
“According to our culture, someone who hangs themselves faces downward, but in this case, he was facing upwards. We also heard reports that he had been drinking with the same officers before his death. We are confused and need clarity,” the source said.
Contacted for comment, Matabeleland North Police Spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda said his office had not yet received an official report.
“As for the suicide that you are talking about, I tried to check with my office but they did not hear something official to that effect. I am trying to call Nyamandlovu now. Sometimes we don’t consider those matters of concern, when we investigate our internal communication, we highlight issues that are of a serious nature, especially of national interest,” said Inspector Banda.