Man takes own life over prolonged illness in Lilongwe

A 51-year-old man who has been sick for a long time has hanged himself on a tree in Lilongwe.

Confirming the development to Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Thursday, Lilongwe Deputy Police Spokesperson Constable Khumbo Sanyiwa identified the deceased as Manda Makowa from Dizmond Village in Traditional Authority Masula in Lilongwe.

Constable Sanyiwa said the incident occurred on February 28, 2024, at his home village.

He further said Makowa had been suffering from general body pains since 2022 and had been visiting different hospitals for treatment but to no avail.

“Makowa went missing and relatives searched for him but he wasn’t found. Later, he was found dead and hanging from the tree and the matter was reported to Mitundu Police Unit.

“Medical practitioner from Mitundu Health center conducted postmortem and it was established that death was due to suffocation in secondary to strangulation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Police is advising the general public to avoid resorting to committing suicide whenever they are facing challenges.