NATIONAL NEWS - A Grade 9 pupil, from Sonyongwane High School in Creighton, southern KwaZulu-Natal, was found dead on Friday with a suicide note next to her.
KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza has sent her condolences to the family of 17-year-old Andiswa Chiya, who committed suicide after allegedly being bullied by her schoolmates.
MEC Khoza said the school was celebrating matric results after performing extremely well, and Andiswa left school for home after the festivities, only to take her own life in the afternoon.
It is alleged that she was bullied by others, who consistently told her that she was ugly and teased her about the shape of her head.
“It is heartbreaking to lose a child due to bullying at school. We have repeated incidents where children take their own lives as a result of bullying. Children cannot [deal with] humiliation,” said Khoza.
Ward councillor Mthobisi Dlamini said Andiswa’s family was heartbroken about her death.
This incident has affected the entire community because it is something that has never happened before. We were shocked that the child committed suicide after intense bullying at school.
He said if they had known about the challenge the child was facing, they would have intervened timeously to avoid such a tragedy.
MEC Khoza said children were unable to contain hurtful words from others that ultimately led to some taking drastic decisions such as ending their own lives.
“This is cruelty that all parents should be careful of. Children must be protected at all times and we must be able to help them to deal with the depression they encounter as a result of bullying.”
Khoza said she has dispatched a team of social workers to the family and school to provide psycho-social support.
The MEC further urged parents and guardians to talk to teenagers about their mental health. She said it was important for parents to always interact with their children after school to detect if they needed support.
Depression has been reported as the highest disease burden among adolescents and suicide the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds globally.
