BULAWAYO – A man thought to have committed suicide by hanging himself in a toilet at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport hitched himself using a door hinge, police said.
Stunned airport workers said the suicide move appeared “almost impossible to pull off.”
“It beggars belief because how do you use a door to kill yourself? He must have worker really hard for it. I guess when it’s your day, it’s your day,” one said.
The man has been named as Cecil Themba Elisha, a 27-year-old resident of Killarney suburb in Bulawayo.
Elisha completed all travel formalities at the airport as he checked in for the 5.30PM Fastjet flight to Johannesburg, police said.
“He went to the toilets and took long to return thereby delaying the flight to depart. The airport aviation security officer started looking for him and he found him hanging at the back of the door of the international departure toilet. He used a nylon rope to hang himself on the hinge which is at the back of the toilet door,” Bulawayo police spokesman Inspector Abednico Ncube said.
Airport sources said police found a diary whose contents suggested he had contemplated killing himself for some time.
Bulawayo mayor David Coltart said he was “saddened that we have lost an illustrious member of society who had unwavering commitment and passion for the development of the city.”
“The council and the people of Bulawayo express their deepest sorrow and condolence at the loss of a leader, a businessman and a public figure who was always available to serve diligently and faithfully,” Coltart said.
