Can suicide be prevented?
Friday, September 26, 2014
Some time ago, I received an informative email from Sbrana Psychiatrist Hospital superintendent, Dr Mpho Thula, about World Suicide Prevention Day, which is commemorated on September 10. Before then, I had given suicide little thought. It was only when I went through the official statistics that I realised that it is an issue that needs urgent interventions. Dr Thula decried that Botswana needs a national suicide strategy that would deal with the escalating suicide crisis in the country. He noted that suicide had reached crisis proportions, to the extent that the number of people who committed suicide surpassed those who died from murder and wars combined.
The reality that suicide was more prevalent than I imagined suddenly sank in. To be honest, I have lost count of the number of people I know and have heard of who tragically ended their own lives. I could not believe how oblivious we are over suicide. It also hit me that 90 percent of these people are youth. I thought: what drives a brilliant, young and beautiful person to take their own life?
While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....