Online Reporter
The Herald, 19 December 1992
THE number of potential suicides seeking help has increased by about 30 percent due to drought, the hostile economic climate and retrenchment.
In an interview yesterday, the Samaritans said out of all the phone calls they received, 50 percent were from people intending to commit suicide.
However, only a few of them actually committed suicide after counselling by the organisation. The Samaritans, a voluntary organisation, operates a 24-hour telephone service and caters for depressed, lonely and suicidal people.
The spokesman said they received over 300 callers a month and in a year they had helped to prevent over 800 people from committing suicide.
“We are getting a lot more of suicide cases this year compared to last year and the reasons given by the people are mainly because of the economic crisis in the country.
“And now with the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme a lot of people are getting retrenched. And there are three reasons why people want to commit suicide. It is because of unemployment, financial problems and health.
“We also get some cases from HIV and Aids patients who we refer to the Aids Council for assistance since none of the volunteers are qualified counsellors. We refer cases which need professional help to the relevant departments whom we work hand-in-hand with,” he said.
With the high cost of living these days, people cannot afford to send some of their children to school, provide a decent meal for their children and other essential requirements and this led some to contemplate suicide.
Retrenchment and economic hardships were worsened by the drought. People cannot migrate to the rural areas for they would have to be put on the drought relief programme.
“We provide a listening ear to the people and are very sympathetic to their situations. “The only problem that we have is shortage of volunteers. We need more blacks to participate. At the moment 80 percent are whites and cannot handle some of the cases because of the cultural difference.”
Most suicides occurred in rural areas and because of that the organisation wanted to set up branches in those areas and also an office in Chitungwiza.
Lessons for today:
- The 1992 story reminds us that social and economic crises directly affect mental health. Zimbabwe still faces these challenges today, but growing awareness, community initiatives, and global partnerships are slowly changing the landscape.
- The passage teaches us that economic hardship, drought, unemployment, and health crises like HIV/AIDS can drive people into despair and increase suicide risk. It also shows the importance of community support systems like the Samaritans, who provided counselling and a listening ear, preventing many suicides despite limited resources.
- Zimbabwe continues to face challenges with suicide and mental health. Rates remain significant, with about 17 deaths per 100 000 people in 2021, and men are disproportionately affected. However, there has been progress, mental health awareness campaigns, community-based initiatives like the Friendship Bench, and international support from WHO are helping reduce stigma and expand access to care.
- Economic stress fuels mental health crises, Retrenchment, unemployment, and inability to provide for families were major triggers. HIV/AIDS patients were among those seeking help, showing how physical illness and stigma worsened mental strain.
