Buziwe Nocuze
Lukhanyo Jongqo, a 14-year-old learner, has commited suicide allegedly after being bullied by fellow learners for being gay.
The Grade 7 learner from Kubusie Combined School in Stutterheim, Eastern Cape was found hanging in his room by his mother last week Thursday.
His aunt Nocawe Jongqo said her nephew had been complaining about the bullying from boys at his school since last year.
“They were calling him terrible names. We reported the matter to schoolteachers hoping it would be resolved. His death shows that the issue was never attended to and the bullying continued,” she said.
She said the bullying was so bad that the boys refused to sit next to him in class, leaving him isolated.
“It will take time for us to recover, especially his mother who saw her son hanging dead. He was such a good boy who loved doing our hair and did house chores without complaining,” she said.
Her plea to parents is to talk to their kids and try to explain that they are always going to meet people who are different from them.
Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, spokesperson for the SAPS in Eastern Cape, said they opened an inquest docket for further investigation after a 14-year-old boy was found dead inside his bedroom in Stutterheim.
“Circumstances surrounding the accident are being investigated,” said Nkohli.
