PENTECOSTAL bishop Nyondo who was facing charges of sexually abusing nine girls from his church has committed suicide.

By MARILYN ROSE and  REBECCA MUSHOTA–
A PENTECOSTAL bishop in Kitwe who was facing charges of sexually abusing nine girls from his church has committed suicide, his wife has said.
Dominic Nyondo of Holy Fire Christian Ministry Church is believed to have thrown himself in the crocodile-infested Kafue River.
Mable Nyondo said her husband left home around 22:00 hours on Monday after informing her that whatever was going to happen to him was because of the allegations of sexual abuse against him.
“He left the house between 22:00 hours and 23:00 hours after reading the Bible and said that whatever will happen to him was because of the allegations of sexual abuse against him,” Ms Nyondo said.
“I tried to chase him but he ran towards the river and when I reached (the river), I only found his shirt.”
Ms Nyondo was narrating the ordeal during an interview at the funeral house in Ipusukilo Township in Kitwe yesterday.
Kitwe District Police Commissioner Lizzie Machina said her officers were investigating the matter.
Bishop Nyondo was charged with three counts of defilement, five counts of rape and one count of indecent assault after he was accused of abusing nine church members on the pretext that he was cleansing them of evil spirits.
The offences were allegedly committed between April 2010 and December 2013 and involved female church members aged between 14 and 45 years.
On August 11 this year, three church members testified before senior resident magistrate Daniel Musonda how the bishop allegedly abused them by shaving their private parts, ‘anointing’ them with milk and oil before having sexual intercourse with them on the pretext that he was casting out demons from them.
The case has since been adjourned to August 25 for continued hearing.
In another case, an alert father last Friday rescued his nine-year-old son from hanging himself using a neck tie in Mansa.
The father, Ben Mushinge of Nonde Village in Chief Chisunka’s area, saved his son after he found him trying to kill himself using a neck tie.
Luapula Province Police Commissioner Malcolm Mulenga said yesterday that the incident happened on Friday last week.
Mr Mulenga said the father then rushed his son to hospital for medical attention.
He said the boy sustained a painful neck.
“No proper reasons were given for the attempted suicide,” Mr Mulenga said.
The boy has since been admitted to Mansa General Hospital mental ward.