SHE ALLEGEDLY took her own life after she was bullied at school.
And the bullying was so bad that the 17-year-old Andiswa Chiya was even called an ugly horse.
Sadly, the grade 9 pupil from Sonyongwana High School
She was found by one of her uncles and they also discovered a suicide note.
The note stated that she killed herself because she was called an ugly horse at school.
Andiswa’s shattered family described her as a quiet girl.
Her uncle, Ndaba (41), told Daily Sun they’re still in shock and can’t believe that Andiswa actually took her own life.
“She didn’t tell anyone in the family that she was called ugly and that she looks like a horse. We honestly didn’t know that she was bullied like this. She was a quiet girl who often sat alone and didn’t play much with other kids.
“Recently, she came back from school, talked a little and then went to her bedroom and sat alone. Maybe this matter at school was the reason she was like that, but we didn’t notice as we thought it was her character,” he said.
Ndaba said he wished she spoke to them as they were her family and they would have tried to sort the matter out.
“We would have gone to her school to speak to the teachers about this and maybe she wouldn’t have ended up taking her own life,” he said.
He said he wished for the Department of Education to speak to pupils about talking badly to other pupils and about bullying.
“Andiswa was my sister’s eldest child. My sister is very hurt. I still can’t believe there are such mean kids out there,” he said.
KZN Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza said the school was celebrating matric results as they had performed well.
After the celebration, the pupils went home and Andiswa took her own life later that afternoon.
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“It’s alleged that the pupil was bullied by others who consistently told her that she was ugly and teased her about the shape of her head,” said Khoza.
She said it was heartbreaking to lose a child as a result of bullying at school.
“We have repeated incidents where children take their own lives as a result of bullying. Children cannot contain humiliation,” she said.
Khoza said children were unable to deal with hurtful words, which ultimately leads to some making drastic decisions such as ending their lives.
“Children must be protected at all times, and we must be able to help them deal with the depression they encounter as a result of bullying,” she said.
Khoza has sent a team of social workers to the family and the school, to provide psycho-social support.
She urged parents and guardians to talk to their children about their mental health.
She said it was important for parents to interact with their kids to detect if they needed support.
“Depression has been reported as the highest disease among adolescents and suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds globally,” she said.
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Education spokesman Sihle Mlotshwa sent the department has sent its condolences to the Chiya family.
“We are also hurt by this. The life orientation subject was introduced to teach pupils about lifestyle so that people can live together in harmony,” he said.
KZN police spokeswoman Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the cops have opened an inquest docket.
l in Newtonville, KZN was found hanging with her school tie from the roof.
