Elderly Woman Killed In Her Sleep As Bedroom Wall Collapses

A 76-year-old woman from Madumabisa Village in Chief Hwange’s area has died after the wall of her bedroom collapsed on her while she slept.

Rosina Ndlovu was in a small, one-room house made of mud bricks with her granddaughter when tragedy struck in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Family members said the two had gone to bed around 10 pm on Wednesday with everything seemingly normal.

Around 5 am, Rosina’s granddaughter, Maria Katuku, was jolted awake by a loud crashing noise. She heard bricks falling near the door and, when she went to check, realised her grandmother was trapped under the rubble.

Maria heard her grandmother struggling to breathe as the bricks pinned her down. In panic, she ran to alert her aunt, Safire Ndlovu, who was sleeping in a nearby house within the same homestead.

The two women returned and tried desperately to remove the debris with their bare hands, but sadly, it was too late.

Villagers who gathered at the homestead described the scene as heart-wrenching, with family members wailing as the reality of the tragedy sank in.

The collapsed wall was near the door frame, leaving a heap of bricks scattered across the small room.

Inspector Glory Banda, police spokesperson for Matabeleland North, confirmed the incident. He said:

“I can confirm a sudden death incident in Madumabisa Village, Hwange, where a 76-year-old woman died after a wall collapsed while she was asleep.

“Investigations are underway to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Rosina’s body was taken to Hwange Colliery Hospital and was expected to be transferred to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post-mortem examination.

More: Chronicle