Dickson Lester, a 25-year-old man who went missing on December 23, 2022, was found unconscious on the rim of Dedza Mountain on December 24, 2022.
What happened to Dickson Lester?
On December 23, 2022, Lester, a third-year student at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) in Blantyre, went missing.
According to Sergeant Cassim Manda, a Dedza police deputy spokeswoman, Lester was discovered unconscious in a thorny thicket on the peak of the Dedza Mountain by women collecting firewood on Saturday morning, December 24, 2022.
He was transferred to Dedza District Hospital by police, where it was established that he had died. Initial findings of an open postmortem examination revealed damaged hyper-pigmented organs due to poisoning.
Meanwhile, samples have been collected for further testing at the Central Laboratory in Lilongwe.
Why did he kill himself?
Dickson Lester, 25, committed suicide, according to a postmortem investigation undertaken by the Dedza District Hospital.
Lester, a third-year business student at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, was expelled for failing his examinations. He’d gone AWOL before collapsing near Dedza Mountain on Christmas Eve.
According to the statement made on December 26, 2022, signed by Manda, Lester was stressed for failing four topics out of twelve modules, which resulted in his resignation from the University.
Blantyre Dickson Lester, 25, was from Mandala Village in Dedza district’s Traditional Authority Kamenyagwaza.
Tributes to Blantyre Dickson Lester
Innocent Thierry Mwanjabe tweeted,
So heartbreaking to his loved ones. Ma options to be successful are many out there, just that we only believe that school is the only tool to success; hence this mindset has demotivated many people to push harder in life and see themselves as failures when they fail to achieve any certificates from this prestigious learning institution.
Kosine Y M’madi posted,
“I encourage all young men and women studying at various universities to work hard when given a chance. If you have a laptop, pocket money, and accommodation, you have no reason to fail unless you are sick. Work hard guys, osamatengeka ndi moyo wa pa campus, …. RIP.”
Tabitha Mataula commented,
I wish we could have people who have passed through depression, and they should be at the forefront of encouraging others who are passing through the same on how best they can defeat depression… Rest in peace, lad.