EVEN though suicide is considered the 19th most common cause of death in Zimbabwe, a slew of suicides by teachers have shocked the country.
According to the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ), as many as 380 teachers committed suicide in the country between 2008
and 2020. The country boasts 136 000 public school teachers.
Thulani Maphosa (36), who worked as a contract teacher, was
found hanging from a tree at his rural home in Nkayi in April. He had been
dismissed from the service due to the continuous closure of schools due to the
COVID-19 lockdown.
“He was always sad after he lost his job. He found it hard
to accept that he was now without a job,” 61-year-old James Ndumiso, Maphosa’s
uncle, told Anadolu Agency.
Last year in March, 54-year-old Ntabiso Sibanda, a teacher
from Magwegwe North suburb in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, was
also found hanging from a tree.
The body of the teacher was discovered by two boys who were
collecting firewood near the Magwegwe sewage treatment plant.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, psychiatrist Anesu
Chinoperekwei blamed economic challenges for the rising suicide cases here.
“Suicide is one of the leading causes of morbidity and
mortality in the world and we are seeing a rise in the incidence of suicide
cases every day. I would like to say amongst the things that contribute to
people committing suicide are economic challenges,” he said.
In Zimbabwe, teachers earn less than US$200 a month, a
meagre amount to keep body and soul together for a family.
With more Zimbabwean teachers taking their own lives, trade
union leaders are blaming poor wages and the absence of social security for the
spate of suicide.
“There has been an increase in suicide cases in Zimbabwe,
in the education sector, particularly among teachers and students. Several
teachers have committed suicide after heated arguments with family members over
their failure to meet family obligations, said Takafira Zhou, president of
PTUZ.
Based on independent statistics from the PTUZ, every year
Zimbabwe loses approximately 30 teachers and six students to suicides.
Linda Masarira, an opposition politician, said besides the
economy there were other factors fuelling the suicides.
“Beyond the economic hardships and drug abuse, I have
learned that most people committing suicide will be having underlying spiritual
issues, some emanating from their family lineage, some emanating from
unappeased spirits of murdered individuals, all these being contributing
factors to suicide,” she said.
According to the latest World Health Organisation data
published in 2018, suicide deaths in Zimbabwe have reached 1 728 or 1,46% of
total deaths.
Another opposition politician Clifford Hlatshwayo said the
widening gap between the rich and the poor created systematically by the ruling
Zanu PF government was leading people to take their own lives.
“Most of the ordinary Zimbabweans are secluded and exposed
to poor services and slave wages,” he said. Newsday
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