ZAMBIA –  A teenage girl has committed suicide by taking poison after her mother rebuked her for playing with boys fearing that she would fall pregnant.

Reports indicate that the Mather, Penny Mlauzi, scolded her warning her to stop indulging in s.e.x. “She got worried after seeing Lakisha playing with different boys in the area. As a responsible parent, she had to step in, strongly warning her to stop playing with boys and indulging in s.e.x as that would result in her falling preg_nant. She told her to concentrate on her school work,” said the source.

But it seems the teenage girl did not take kindly to wise counsel from her mother. The source went on to say on 2 December at around 5 am Mlauzi who is an airtime vendor, left for her vending business.

“She left her with the housemaid aged 19 and went to sell her airtime at Magwegwe terminus. Later on, at around 8 am their maid went to bath and left Nokuzola alone. She went to her bedroom where it is believed she gulped 100ml of insecticide. An empty bottle of the insecticide was found in her wardrobe,” said the source.

The maid, the source said, found her lying on the floor frothing from the mouth and unable to speak. She informed a neighbour who called an ambulance but she breathed her last in her hands.

“While she was still conducting first aid on her she breathed her last and the ambulance crew pronounced her dead upon arrival,” said the source. Her mother reported the matter to the police.

A source close to investigations said the late Nokuzola’s friend revealed that Nokuzola had fallen preg_nant. However, she reportedly did not want her mother to know.

“Her friend said the late had tested pregnant and warned her friends that if they disclosed the pregnancy to anyone or her parents she would commit suicide and on countless occasions she had threatened to commit suicide,” said the source.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed: “We urge youths to refrain from engaging in s.e.x but concentrate on preparing for their future. They should shun friends who don’t share the same vision with them. The road to your destiny begins now,” he said.