Cops bemoan Bulawayo suicide rate

By Thandeka Moyo

Police in Bulawayo have bemoaned the rise in suicide cases in the city especially amongst juveniles.This comes at a time when the country joined the world in commemorating Suicide Prevention Day last Monday with calls for joint efforts to reduce incidents of suicide.

In an interview recently, acting Bulawayo police provincial spokesperson Inspector Abednego Ncube said at least one suicide is reported weekly in the city.

“We are worried about the number of people including juveniles who are taking their lives by hanging themselves in Bulawayo. Of late, we have witnessed children committing suicide by hanging while some throw themselves at moving trains,” he said.

“We call upon members of the public to seek counselling services and share their grief with close relatives, police departments or churches rather than taking their lives.”

Insp Ncube blamed suicide cases on the disintegration of the social fabric in families and communities.

“Some cases are caused by the failure to accept the status quo prevailing at a given time. If the social fabric is enhanced we may witness a reduction of suicide cases in the city.”

A local psychologist Miss Jacqueline Nkomo said suicide can also be caused by financial depression where people feel they have failed to be relevant in life.

“Sometimes it can be a case where one fails to accept their HIV status and tend to think that since they may die as a result of the disease, they might as well take their own lives,” she said.

Miss Nkomo added that juveniles may consider suicide when they fall pregnant or when parents fail to meet their needs or even due to abuse.

“Such people are usually shy to call out for help or seek financial advice which leaves them with no option but suicide. I encourage families to maintain healthy communication systems so that no one ever reaches a point where they prefer death to life,” she said.

Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800 000 deaths, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds, according to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP).

Preventing suicide, according to experts, requires the efforts of many as suicidal behaviour is universal and affects everyone.

“It takes family, friends, co-workers, community members, educators, religious leaders, healthcare professionals, political officials and governments,” said IASP.

A-12-year-old boy from Nkayi committed suicide by hanging himself from the roof trusses in a bedroom at the family home last week.

This was after a Form One pupil from Pumula High hanged herself on a mango tree after she was rebuked for bunking school.

In June this year, a Form Four pupil at Mzingwane High School allegedly hanged himself, fearing disciplinary action over alleged theft.

Sometime in May, another Form Four pupil from Mbuyazwe Secondary School also hanged himself after quarrelling with his mother who had chided him for bullying his younger brother. The Chronicle.