Suicide at Promenade Hotel raises questions
Rumours that he had been running from the police remain unconfirmed.
MBOMBELA – A man shot himself in the well-known Hotel Promenade in the early hours of Monday morning.
The iconic hotel is affiliated with Orion Group, whose public relations officer Antoinette Kleyn offered some insight into what transpired.
According to Kleyn, a person ran into the hotel premises – allegedly while seeking cover from assailants who were chasing him from a nearby shebeen. He hid in one of the hotel’s offices and closed the door before putting a gun to his head.
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Another version presented to Lowvelder held that the man had been running from the police at the time of the incident. These allegations remain unconfirmed. Community members voiced the opinion that it was probably untrue.
Police are conducting an inquest, which entails determining who the man was, what events had preceded his death and to confirm the medical cause of his death. Therefore, spokesman Capt Dawie Pretorius could not provide Lowvelder with any information pertaining to the incident.
Kleyn said that the deceased was not a guest at the hotel and that no guests were involved or hurt during the incident. “Hotel Promenade have consoled the guests who stayed at the hotel and we ensure that we have taken precautions to ensure the safety of all our guests at all times,” she concluded.
