Family members reported the matter to the Giyani Police Station on Tuesday and a case of a missing person was opened. The deceased was identified as Shadrack Manganyi.
In a second apparent suicide, the body of a woman was found hanging from the roof of a house in Chiawela Clock 23 on the evening of Monday, January 2. Police and emergency services were summoned to the scene and the deceased was certified dead. She was identified as Annah Masingita Khosa. The station commander of Giyani Police Station, Brig Khutso Serakwana, urged the community to reach out to the relevant structures to assist if they face challenges or problems in their lives.
According to the Center for Suicide Prevention, men commit suicide almost four times more than women. The centre says that although the statistics show that men between 20- and 30 years old die in alarming numbers, men from 40 to 60 are the most likely to commit suicide. “People do not talk when it comes to being depressed or abused because there is a perception that ‘a person should never show his or her tears’.
Also read: Suicide Awareness and Prevention
A man that speaks out will be regarded as weak, so it is better for him to keep it inside,” Kgomotso Mhlabina, a social worker told the Herald. “Many people have misplaced anger. I like to compare anger to a bottle of Coke, if you keep shaking the bottle while it’s still closed, the moment you open it will explode. The same goes for anger, when people keep on piling on every problem they come across because they do not want to be deemed as weak, it gets channeled in ways such as abusing their partners or suicide.”
She said that people should join forums that will help them talk about problems. They should also see practitioners to overcome their problems. She added that they have campaigns where they tell people that it is okay to be vulnerable, but they are not always aware of the role social worker can play in assisting them. “Our work is much broader than only assisting women and children. If men approach us with their problems, we will be able to consult them,” she concluded.
People in need can go to the Limpopo Mental Health Society at 22 Peace Street in Tzaneen or call 015 307 7422. They can also approach their local clinic for help. In Giyani they can visit the Nkhensani Hospital when feeling suicidal.
