ONGWEDIVA – A 43-year-old man committed suicide by allegedly stabbing himself in the stomach and cutting his throat with a traditional knife (Omukonda) in his bedroom in full view of his seven-months-pregnant wife.
This incident occurred at around 13h00 on Wednesday at Ononge village in the Oshikoto region.
The deceased was identified as Ndafelai Nghilifilwa.
Oshikoto police chief Teopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku said it is alleged that the deceased told his 37-year-old wife that he was going to visit his mother in the morning. Upon his return in the afternoon, he came back with a container of Otombo, and gave it to his wife.
Nghilifilwa then told their children to go and collect beans in their mahangu field. The couple went into their bedroom, and the husband started undressing himself
and told his wife he was going back to the cuca shops.
She added that while naked, Nghilifilwa locked the bedroom and tried to tie a noose around his neck.
The wife allegedly grabbed the rope from him, and threw it out through the window.
“The deceased ran out of the room naked, and picked up the rope. He went into the field, where he was found by his wife attempting to commit suicide on a tree,” explained the police.
Eventually, his wife sent their children to get a knife from the house, and she managed to climb the tree and cut the rope Nghilifilwa was using to hang himself. The wife narrated that Nghilifilwa rushed back home, grabbed a traditional knife (Omukonda) and stabbed himself in front of his family. This was when the shocked wife ran to notify the neighbours.
When she returned, Nghilifilwa was found dead in a pool of blood while holding his traditional knife.
Police investigations revealed that early this month, the deceased had argued with and assaulted his wife at a cuca shop after accusing her of having extramarital affairs with young boys.
The couple have six children, and been married for 13 years. No suicide note was left, and police investigations continue in the matter.