“Mentally challenged pupils need good education”

Three clinics around Sinthumule and Kutama hosted a mental-health campaign to create awareness and fight the stigma attached to mental-health patients at the Ravele Hall last Thursday.

The MEC for Health, Mr Ishmael Kgetjepe, said this year’s campaign on mental illness and suicide sent a powerful message to counter the perception that mental illnesses are a secondary health concern that can be delayed until more immediate and pressing health care issues have been addressed."The relevance of this theme to the current situation cannot be overemphasized. Mentally challenged people are human beings too and must be taken good care of,” said Kgetjepe.

He called for communities to accept, support and treasure mentally ill patients. He said suicide was often a consequence of society’s failing to recognize and treat serious mental illnesses, such as depression and schizophrenia.

Thovhele Vho-Rudzani Sinthumule urged the community not to push these people away. “We have this kind of event because we want to show mentally challenged people that we love and accept them. What we can do is to take them to schools, where they can get an education,” says Sinthumule.

One of the people staying with a mentally challenged person urged parents to stop abusing these people and to stop using them as sources of income. He said the disability grants should be used in the way they were intended.

The event was sponsored by Phadziri Bus Company.

Date:24 July 2014

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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