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Kombi drivers and relatives of the late Prosper Tanganda arrive at his residence in Entumbane suburb, Bulawayo yesterday. (Picture by Rejoice Mberengwa)

Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
A COMMUTER omnibus driver from Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb yesterday allegedly committed suicide by inhaling vehicle exhaust fumes after accusing his wife of infidelity, police confirmed.

The driver, identified by friends as Prosper Tanganda, 33, was found dead in his kombi at Zothile shops in Entumbane early yesterday morning.

Shocked neighbours told The Chronicle that Tanganda — who was popularly known as MaPro — left his wife Brenda Chimusoro, 30, at home following an argument on Thursday night.

They said he drove to the shopping centre where he took a hose-pipe and connected it to the kombi’s exhaust pipe.

“He put the other end of the hose in the car and closed the windows. He sat in the driver’s seat and inhaled the fumes, leading to his death,” said a neighbour who asked not to be named.

The neighbour said a friend of Tanganda’s who witnessed the row with his wife went looking for him. He searched for him, the neighbour said, the entire night but failed to find him.

“The friend finally saw MaPro’s kombi parked in front of Zothile shops soon after dawn. The windows were closed and the car was still idling,” said the neighbour.

A kombi driver, who also declined to be named, said Tanganda was unconscious so his friends called an ambulance.

He said the ambulance crew advised them to call the police because Tanganda was already dead from inhaling exhaust gases which contain carbon monoxide.

“I’ve been told he suspected his wife was having an extramarital affair. Some people said he had an argument with his wife over finances,” said the driver.

“We’re saddened by the way he chose to take his life because he tied the knot sometime last year, he was such a happy character.”

Said another neighbour: “He used to play music at a loud volume at his home and in his car.”

Yesterday, The Chronicle visited Tanganda’s home in Entumbane where mourners were gathered but his relatives declined to comment.

Some of his colleagues were trickling in to share grief with the bereaved family.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said police were investigating.