A 65-year-old man of Chama district in Eastern Province, has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself to a tree in the bush over allegations that he bewitched his second wife.
Eastern Province Police Commissioner, Robertson Mweemba, confirmed the incident stating that it occurred on the 27th August, 2025 at around 14:00 hrs in Nyembe village of chief Chibale.
The brief facts of the matter are that the deceased, Boyd Simukoko, married two wives, Maria Namfukwe, the first one and Setelina Kaluba, the second one.
The second wife had been ill for a long time suffering from swollen legs and stomach.
Mr Mweemba stated that the children of the second wife called a witch doctor, known as “Twapachalo,” who claimed that their father was behind their mother’s illness.
He explained that when the children confronted their father about the allegations, he expressed ignorance.
However, later that afternoon, Mr Simukoko went into the bush, about 50 metres away from his home, and committed suicide despite earlier telling his first wife that he was going to the farm.
An inquiry has been opened into the matter and the relatives have been advised to bury the body and mark the grave for possible exhumation.