A Zimbabwean cop hanged himself at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare after telling doctors his meagre salary couldn’t support his family, sources say.
Francis Patama, 34, was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Parirenyatwa after jumping off a moving police vehicle in an alleged suicide attempt.
Police sources said Patama did not show up for duty on time after getting paid last week. When bosses tried to discipline him, he reportedly assaulted one of them.
A source revealed: “He jumped off a moving police car on June 17 in an attempt to commit suicide.”
Patama was admitted with “major depressive disorder with psychosis.”
Insiders claim Patama told doctors “he feels like he is a failure because his salary can’t sustain the basic needs of his family.”
Cops earn the same as soldiers, nurses and teachers – around Z$70,000 plus US$250 in allowances per month.
On the day of his death, Patama left Ward 12 where he was being treated to take a bath.
“He took a cloth belt from one of the patients’ hospital gowns and hanged himself in a wardrobe,” a hospital source said.
Parirenyatwa spokesman Linos Dire said the matter is “under police investigation.”
Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the national police spokesman, said he did not have details on the matter.
Teachers’ unions blamed the recent suicide of a deputy headmistress on “slave wages” after she hanged herself hours after collecting her pay.
The facts suggest Patama took his own life due to the low salary that couldn’t support his family, like many others in similar professions.
