Woman commits suicide after being ordered to give chicken fine to chief

A 54-year-old woman has committed suicide in Mchinji  by drinking pesticides  after she was apparently not amused with a fine of a chicken which her village headman imposed on her.

The chief helped her get a new 2018 Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) coupons after misplacing the initial one she received suring distribution.

Mchinji Police  Station spokesperson  Lubrino Kaitano said the deceased Olive Gaudesio from Mkumbwa Village in the area of Traditional Authority(T/A) Zulu,  was fined  for pestering the chief and village elders to give her coupon.

He said the  deceased had consumed Acephate powder, a pesticide.

A postmortem at Mchinji District Hospital confirmed Gaudesio had died of poisoning.

According to Robert Lumbani, son to the deceased, his mother received this year’s FISP coupons and misplaced them within her house.

He said the deceased then started making accusations that the coupons were stolen.

“She complained about the issue and later reported it the village headman,” Lumbani explained.

He said village headman Mkumba and elders from the village searched her house and found the coupons.

“Upon finding her guilty [of making false accusations], the village headman ordered her to pay one chicken, which did not please her hence she took poison,” Lumbani said.

The Police PRO said suicide cases are on the rise in the district and advised the public against the practice saying it is not a remedy.