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Whinsley Masara Bulawayo Bureau
Two police officers based at Nkayi Police Station allegedly committed suicide by drinking pesticides during the same month. Constables Aubrey Mahefa (25) and Liston Hove allegedly killed themselves following domestic disputes.

A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged Hove killed himself on June 2 after his wife blew his annual bonus with a boyfriend, who impregnated her.

“He quarrelled with his wife over his missing bonus money,” said the source. “His wife was pregnant and someone in Kwekwe was claiming responsibility.

“They had been married for only three months when Hove discovered WhatsApp messages where his wife and another man discussed her pregnancy. “Not only did it end there, the unknown man went on to directly communicate with Hove.

“He claimed to be the husband of the wife he had just married. He told him he was the father of the baby his wife carried and even told him that he had part of Hove’s ‘bonus’ and was actually squandering it.

“We suspect he couldn’t stomach his wife’s betrayal and decided to kill himself. He drank a pesticide a few kilometres away from the business centre. Apparently the pain he endured became too much for him and he started running around in a rage like a mad man.

“A passer-by I won’t mention by name rushed him to Nkayi District Hospital. When his condition worsened they transferred him to Mpilo Central Hospital and he died on the way.” In the case of Mahefa, a passer-by discovered his decomposed body in Shangani River on Friday last week.

A bottle of a poisonous pesticide and his cellphone were found on the body. A source within the police camp said they suspected Mahefa killed himself because his wife “sold him out to his superiors that he was running a business, contrary to the Police Act.”

“It was alleged that Mahefa was running a business at Nkayi Business Centre, which is against our policies,” said the source. “This was discovered by our superiors who confronted his wife and she admitted it.”

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese could not be reached for comment.