Malawian man commits suicide in Lilongwe for failing to repay MK22,000 village banking loans

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost):-A 26-year old man on Tuesday in rural Lilongwe committed suicide for failing to repay a MK22, 000.00’s village banking (locally and popularly known as Banki Nkhonde).

Kanengo Police Station Public Relations Officer Alfred Chimthere has identified the deceased as Justin Kanthepa who hanged himself using a rope tied to the roof of his house at Mtema in the district.

The police Publicist Chimthere told the Maravi Post that the deceased had earlier on in June this year sent his wife to borrow money amounting to MK 10,000 from the village bank, and on the fateful day his total bill had accumulated to MK22, 000.

Chimthere said the late Kanthepa panicked to raise the amount and opted to terminate his life as a solution, after several attempts by the group members to recoup the cash.

“On Tuesday morning, his close relatives noticed his absence and checked in his bedroom whereby he was found dead, spotting a suicide note in his pocket.

“However, based on the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID), no foul play is suspected. The postmortem carried out by the Medical Personnel at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) confirmed that death was due to strangulation.

“We are therefore advising the general public to freely patronize the Police formations for Guidance and Counseling at the Victim Support Unit (VSU) in order to prevent similar deaths”, urges Chimthere.

Kanthepa hailed from Chimutu village, Traditional Authority (T.A) Kabudula in Lilongwe district.

Lloyd M’bwana

I’m a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource (LUANAR)’s Environmental Science graduate (Malawi) and UK’s ICM Journalism and Media studies scholar. Also University of Malawi (UNIMA) Library Science Scholar. I have been The Malawi Country Manager and duty editor for the Maravi Post since 2019. My duty editor’s job is to ensure that the news is covered properly, that it is delivered on time, and that it is created to the standards set out in the editorial guidelines of the Maravi Post.