In a dramatic development, Hatipfeke Junk clothing line founder Jefferson Nyamuchengwa is reportedly failing to settle the USD500 medical bill accrued when he was admitted at a local health institution following his suicide attempt, the publication has heard.
Popularly known as Boss Jeff in his circles, the youthful entrepreneur cheated death when he downed poison at a city hotel early this week.
His clique and associates allegedly snubbed to make contributions to the medical bill which has arrears of USD500.
“Its very sad how Jefferson used to pop bottles with so-called friends..now just USD500 bill at the hospital noone wants to contribute..watch your circle guys know who you eat (sic) your money with,” fumed female city dealer popularly known as Domasi.
Conspiracy theories on the reasons for the attempted suicide have been flying around with the dominant one being that he was swimming in debt.
His debts are said to run into hundreds of thousands of dollars some of which were through speculative and botched Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) deals.
“Mukomana was owing some people including masister Domasi. who were on his tail.
“The pressure was too much that he could not handle and depression took a toll.
“One of his luxurious cars a Mercedes was recently confiscated.
“He had a minor accident and the guys who sold the car to him offered to repair it.
“When he took it to them vakati wangu unonyepa wanga uchitohaya mota iyi until you pay us in full (the guys said we are taking the car we deem you had hired from us until full payment).
“The car was worth not less than USD50k.
“He also had other debts accrued from botched deals unintentionally, so you know in the proccess of trying to cover one gap,the hole gets deeper.
“I am glad he is alive,he is a jolly good fella,” said one small time city dealer who preffered anonymity.
“The other challenge is there are camps in the streets where dealers compare what they call levels,hapana anoda kusara.
“But I can tell you that Jeff does not take drugs like what some social media users are saying,I wish him a speedy recovery and I hope other dealers will chip in to support him,” added the small time dealer.
Meanwhile, the streets of Harare are not for the faint hearted in a rent seeking economy.
Boss Jeff’s situation is just an example of the harsh realities of the fast-paced and high-pressure world of the ‘streets’ and the reality of mental health challenges in the country.
Top shots and big ‘ballers’ about town like the late Irvine Mereki are some of prominent figures who make up part of the statistics.
-ExpressMailZim
