A 15-year-old girl of Chikwanda village in Mpika district, Muchinga Province, has committed suicide.

Muchinga Police Commissioner Dennis Moola has confirmed the incident, saying the identified minor committed suicide by tying a belt to a pole in the roof of the kitchen at home. 

Mr Moola has told ZANIS in Mpika that the girl committeed suicide after learning that she may not proceed to Grade seven at her school because of her poor performance in Grade six.

He said the deceased was supposed to be in Grade seven at Chitulika Primary School in Chief Chikwanda’s area this year.

Mr Moola said the school authorities made an order that when schools open this year, those who were not performing well would not proceed to Grade seven, but rather remain in Grade six, a situation that the deceased minor did not welcome and prompted her to end her life on Friday around 17 hours.

Mr Moola said before she committed suicide the deceased girl confessed and confided in her fellow minor of the same village in Chief Chikwanda that she would kill herself rather than to remain in Grade six.

The police chief said the deceased girl took her life when her elder sister Funny Kaonga, 20, left her home alone when she went to buy some relish at the near by market around 17 hours yesterday.

Mr. Moola stated that when the elder sister returned back from the market around 18 hours, she entered in the kitchen only to discover that her young sister had committed suicide by hanging herself to the roof pole in the kitchen using a belt.

The Police Commissioner said the matter was then reported at Mpika police station by Brian Sinyangwe 28, the brother-in-law to the deceased girl.

He said that when the police visited the scene and conducted physical inspection of the dead body, they observed that the deceased had a mixture of blood and body fluids oozing from the private parts.

The police have since advised the family of the deceased girl to bury the body as they do not suspect any foul play.

The body of the girl has been taken to Mpika hospital mortuary awaiting burial.

Meanwhile, Mpika District Commissioner David Siame has expressed sadness at the untimely death of the girl and has since urged the youths not to take their lives whenever faced with seemingly difficult times.

Mr Siame said there is always a better way to resolve issues than committing suicide.

“It is sad that the girl has died in such a manner,” he said.