A 21-year-old man who was admitted in hospital was found hanging from a tree outside the Shongwe hospital in Schoemansdal in Nkomazi on Thursday morning.
According to Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the police spokesperson the incident occurred in the early hours of 16 June, a day which is known as youth day.
“According to information, at around 8am, police and the paramedics received information from members of the public about a lifeless body of a man in the bushes. Upon arrival at the scene, the young man was found hanging from a tree, wearing the attire normally worn by patients in hospital,” said Mohlala.
The man was declared dead by the medical personnel. “Preliminary investigation has since revealed that the 21-year-old man, who has not yet been identified by his family, was earlier admitted as a patient at Shongwe Hospital but then reportedly discharged himself earlier in the morning, without permission from the authorities at the hospital.”
An inquest into the death of the man found in the bushes has been opened. Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, the Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga said she was saddened by the death of the young man.
Manamela called young people to make use of social services for their well-being whenever they are going through life troubles. “Young people are the future of our country. It is therefore sad that this incident ironically happened in the time in which the country celebrates Youth Day. We urge young people to seek professional help whenever they are faced with life challenges,” she said.