By Paul Nyathi|A 27 year old HIV ailing Bulawayo sex worker died at her regular client’s home in Barbourfields High Density Suburb on Monday morning after a night of joy with the client.

Police reports indicate that Hazel Sibanda fell very ill at Polite Ncube’s apartment at Mbuyazwe Flats and died before an ambulance crew summoned by Ncube arrived to rush her to hospital.

Bulawayo Metropolitan police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango confirmed receiving a report of a case of sudden death.

“We are investigating a case of sudden death of a woman who died in a house in Barbourfields suburb this morning. The man summoned an ambulance but the ambulance crew pronounced her dead on arrival at the scene,” she said.

Ncube said he was a regular client to Sibanda who he usually picked up along 13th Avenue where she paraded among other sex workers.

He said Sibanda had informed him that she was HIV positive but had since defaulted on her anti-retroviral treatment.

“We met in 2016 while she was on business but she moved to South Africa until her return recently. When I met her earlier this year she informed me that she was now HIV positive and would on some instances be down. Sometimes I even accommodated her for a day or two at the house which I’m taking care of.

“This morning she told me she was not feeling well. She asked me to get an ambulance for her. When I returned with the ambulance, the paramedics declared her dead,” said Ncube, who appeared to be in shock.

He said he did not know any of Sibanda’s relatives or where she lived in Bulawayo.

“I only remember that she once mentioned that her rural home was in Mbembesi.

“Two weeks ago I forced her to go to hospital after her body was swelling but unfortunately she was not attended to because she didn’t have any money on her,” he said.