Police probe death of missing guard found in Mfabantfu forest
Preliminary findings suggest the 40-year-old from Ekudzeni may have swallowed a poisonous substance, but the cause of death is not yet confirmed.
Police have opened an inquiry after the body of a 40-year-old security guard from Ekudzeni was found in a Mfabantfu forest, ending a two-day search by family and community members. The man had gone missing on Tuesday after an alleged domestic disagreement with his partner, and had reportedly sent his mother a message saying he would be found dead in a forest.
A police officer at the scene said preliminary information indicated the man had ingested a poisonous substance. The death is being treated as unnatural, and the body has been taken to the mortuary while authorities wait for post-mortem results. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Zwane said two other people also died in separate incidents reported on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
In one case, a 33-year-old man from Ngwane Park was found hanging in his bathroom and certified dead at Manzini Clinic. In the other, a 37-year-old woman from Lawuba was found hanging from the rafters of her bedroom and certified dead at Hlatikhulu Hospital. Figures from the Royal Eswatini Police Service showed 486 suicide deaths between 2022 and 2024, a steady rise over the three years.
Why it mattersFamily members of the dead man and the wider community now await post-mortem results that will determine how he died.