Malawi Police says Dutch national committed suicide over love issues

Malawi Police has said a  60 year old volunteer from Netherlands committed suicide by hanging himself in his house on Sunday evening at Henry Henderson Institute (HHI) in Blantyre.

Blantyre Police Public Relations Officer Augustus Nkhwazi  said  the deceased informed his friend who is a doctor at Beit Cure before taking his own life.

“Barbara Elizabeth Swarthout ten Kate 47, from Netherlands who is a doctor at Beit Cure in Blantyre, received a whatsapp message from the deceased on 11/03/2018 at around 1807 hours that he was going to commit suicide. He further gave her instructions on how to get to his house and his body.

“Upon receipt of this message, she informed her friends Willy and Kitty Tafatatha,” said Nkhwazi in a statement seen by Nyasa Times.

He added: “They rushed to the house of the deceased situated close to Phoenix school.

“They found the house locked. With assistance from the headmaster of Phoenix school, they broke the door to get entry.”

Upon entry, they found the deceased hanging on a rope which was tied to the ceiling of the house.

Police have instituted investigations to establish the cause of the suicide. It is believed that deceased had some issues with his girlfriend who is based in South Africa.

Johan van Houtte hailed from Netherlands and was teaching French and Music at Ndirande Hill high school in Blantyre.

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