Soldier found hanging by the neck from a tree
Sergeant Bonang Richard of Eastern Military Garrison, a Botswana Defence Force camp in Selebi Phikwe, was found hanging by the neck from a tree this past Sunday.
The soldier was found by a passer-by who grew suspicious when he saw a car seemingly abandoned in the bushy area behind Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) offices in Phikwe.
A search around the area led to the passer-by’s horror discovery and he immediately informed the police.
“When we arrived at the scene, we found a man hanging from a tree, he was rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead upon arrival. The suspicion is that he died on Sunday morning as the matter was reported to us around noon.
“It is not yet clear what happened, we are still trying to figure out if indeed this is a suicide or not. Investigations are currently in full swing,” Selebi Phikwe station commander Nicholas Kadiatla, said.
He added that the deceased has been identified and the family already informed of his death. The man is from Tutume, Magapatona ward.
According to some of late soldier’s colleagues, Richard was seemingly depressed during his last days. They allege that he was having some marital problems that ate him away daily.
“We are not sure but we suspect that it is what led to him killing himself. There is no suicide note but we have heard that before dying, he wrote a message on social media, which suggested that he was saying his goodbyes,” one BDF member said.
Meanwhile, police boss Kadiatla is worried about suicide cases in his policing area. Just last week, a 93-year-old man hanged himself inside his house. The old man is suspected to have killed himself because of his ailing health.
“He committed suicide while his 60-year-old daughter was outside performing some home chores. The old man locked the house and committed suicide, the daughter only found him hours later wondering why he was not coming out of his room,” Kadiatla said.