Suicides stun communities

A young school girl hanged herself last week, after receiving the news that she had failed her end of the year examinations.

The body of Ms Ndivhudzannyi Mavhanga (21), a Grade 10 pupil at Thase Secondary School at Muraga outside Thohoyandou, was found by her brother when he arrived at home. The incident that happened last Wednesday at around 14:00.

The incident that shocked the whole community, was not the only incident of suicide to have happened in the district. In an unrelated incident, a 49-year-old teacher from Tshisahulu also hanged himself after allegedly sending his wife away to do some shopping in Thohoyandou.

The man has been identified as Mr Sam Nemuhuyni. Why he committed suicide is still a mystery as he did not leave any suicide note.

Information to this paper’s disposal is that he took his wife to Thohoyandou to do some shopping. He allegedly left the wife there and came back home where he sent the children away before hanging himself.

In the first incident, it is said the girl did not go to school to fetch her report. It was collected by a neighbour, who handed it to her.

It is suspected that the girl could not bear the thought of repeating the same class and she took her life. What added more pain to the family is the fact that three members of the family, including her parents, have died since last year.

Family spokesperson, Mr Shumani Mukwevho said the death has crippled the family. “She was a very talented girl who participated in many activities including traditional dances, where she excelled. She was dedicated to her school work and we fail to understand why she had to take her own life in that way. We believe that if she had shared her problem with others, she would still be alive.”

Chief Ntikefzeni Muraga, who visited the family on Saturday, told the family that they should not ask themselves questions about her death. “In this type of situation, we should all understand failure in order to cope. Ndivhudzannyi has run her full race and she achieved so much in her short life.”

The two incidents were received with shock by the Munna Ndi Nnyi Men's Forum. Reacting to the news, the organization’s chairperson, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini said that they have campaigns, but is disappointed that it seems all their efforts were in vain.

“This is an unnecessary loss of life. We always urge our communities to share their problems with people who are close to them. Everyone has problems, and this does not mean the end of the world. During such tragedies we must ask ourselves as to what the root cause of such tragedies is and why,” Mufunwaini said.

News - Date: 18 December 2017

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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