‘Stop selling rat poison to kids’ – Lady Du

Award winning DJ and Amapiano vocalist Lady Du has pleaded with shops to stop selling poison to children.

Her plea comes shortly after another case of suicide was reported at one of the schools in the east of Johannesburg, Tsakane Secondary School.

On Friday last week, a male general worker from the same school reportedly committed suicide by consuming poison at home.

Tagging Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, the singer said more awareness of mental health in schools is needed.

She added: “Can we kindly take this rat poison issue seriously? We have a lot of kids committing suicide it’s scary. Shops should stop selling rat poison to kids… It’s a trend, it’s scary. We need to act now @Lesufi please…”

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane also shared his concerns on the alarming rate of suicides and attempted suicides at Tsakane Secondary School.

In a statement issued by the Gauteng Department of Education, the MEC said the department is aware of an incident where two female pupils from Tsakane Secondary School allegedly consumed poison at their respective homes and passed away earlier this month.

“We are gravely concerned by the recurring suicidal behaviour at Tsakane Secondary School. Learners are encouraged to reach out to our officials and interact with professionals for necessary assistance by calling Childline on 116. We wish to convey our condolences to families of the bereaved learners and one general worker, wishing that the entire school community finds peace during this time,” Chiloane said.

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Lady Du on overcoming anxiety

The Woza hitmaker also shared on Twitter that she has been dealing with anxiety for the longest time.

“I’ve declined a lot of TV things and award ceremonies because I’ve had so much anxiety. I don’t know why I’ve been so scared to walk red carpets,” she said.

She also shared that she managed to do four interviews this week and feels relieved. She added: “Being afraid of the unknown can stop you from a lot of things…Push yourself, try harder.”

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