MRA official commits suicide
In what can be described as an act of total surrender to prevailing family issues, a Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) official shot himself in the head with a greener rifle Sunday night at his house in Chigumula in Blantyre.
According to Southern Region Police Spokesperson James Kadadzera, the officer Lumbani Namba, aged 39, from Kameza Village in Traditional Authority Machinjiri in Blantyre was working as a revenue tax officer in the domestic tax office and shot himself due to a family dispute.
“We received information this morning that an MRA officer has shot himself in the head at his house in Chigumula. When a police officer went there they found a suicide note that he left that shows he had family issues,” said Kadadzera.
However, MRA Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs Steven Kapoloma said they are just getting reports of the death but are yet to receive official report from the police.
“The police are yet to give us a report on the death and afterwards we will issue a statement to the media. But for the meantime, there is nothing official I can say,” said Kapoloma.
Kadadzera said Namba’s body was taken to the College of Medicine on Monday morning for doctors to conduct a post-mortem and establish the cause of the death.
He further advised people to learn entrusting their family issues with a third party as opposed to taking their own lives.
“Let me take the opportunity to advise people to report any family issues to family advocates, church leaders, village heads and even come to the victim support units at any police station.
It does not help to resort to suicidal acts for any dispute that arises in the family. Some disputes can be mediated on and be resolved,” said Kadadzera.
The suicide, due to family issues, comes three days before the country winds up the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence where different stakeholders put up a robust campaign to end gender-based violence in all forms.
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