Concern about high suicide rate among Gauteng schoolchildren after third pupil dies

The Gauteng department of education has expressed concern about the high suicide rate among schoolchildren in Ga-Rankuwa after the death of another pupil.

The boy was a grade 9 pupil at Kgatoentle Secondary School and apparently ended his life on Monday at home. 

“The department sent its officials to the school to investigate the matter and they subsequently met with the pupil’s family,” Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said.

“There is a high incidence rate of pupil suicides in Ga-Rankuwa and the department is deeply concerned about this and has since deployed support agents in connection with Childline to schools to support pupils with psychosocial problems.”

Mabona confirmed the department's psychosocial support unit visited the school to “provide necessary counselling and trauma support to affected pupils and staff”.

He also said a police investigation had been launched into the matter.

This is the third pupil in Gauteng to have died from an apparent suicide in just one month.

TimesLIVE last week reported on the apparent suicide by two pupils from different schools on the same day.

The first occurred on Monday at the Soshanguve secure care centre, where a grade 10 pupil was found hanging in a dormitory during a lunch break. Both the department and social development confirmed the incident in separate statements issued a week apart. The latter said the 16-year-old died just a month after admission at the centre to serve his sentence.

The second incident involved a grade 9 boy from Kgetsi-Ya-Tsie Secondary School in Temba, who apparently committed suicide at home.

TimesLIVE