Schoolgirl who commited suicide was pregnant with her second child in 2 years

A wave of suicides at Eqinisweni Secondary School in Ivory Park, Ekurhuleni, has left the community reeling and sparked urgent conversations about mental health support for young people.

  Four teenagers tragically took their own lives within a week, with failed relationships believed to be a contributing factor in three of the cases.

The victims, Thembi Lubisi, 17, Basetsana Masilo, 16, Ananias Makwela, 18, and Thandeka Nombinja, 19, died by suicide between April 26 and May 5. 

Tragically, Thembi was seven months pregnant at the time of her death.

According to her father, Elias Mathonsi, Thembi was devastated after being abandoned by her much older boyfriend Ananias, the father of her one-year-old daughter.

“He told Thembi that he wanted nothing more to do with her and the children,” Mathonsi shared, expressing his grief. 

He recounted the heartbreaking moment he found his daughter weak and unresponsive after she ingested poison.

Despite desperate attempts to revive her, Thembi tragically succumbed.

Mathonsi revealed that his daughter felt overwhelmed after her boyfriend left her and the school informed her of the need to take maternity leave. 

Ananias, another victim, also died from suspected rat poisoning.

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