Men account for 80% of South Africa’s suicides

South Africa is facing a silent but devastating mental health crisis, with men accounting for nearly 80% of all recorded suicides – a grim reality that has prompted a KwaZulu-Natal organisation to launch a nationwide campaign aimed at breaking the stigma around men’s mental health and preventing suicide.

Ungazibulali Organisation will embark on a countrywide Men’s Mental Health and Anti-Suicide Prevention Awareness Tour, warning that unless communities begin treating mental health with the same urgency as physical illness, more lives will be lost.

The organisation’s leader, Nkululeko Khanyi, said South Africa could no longer afford to ignore the growing crisis affecting men and boys, many of whom suffer in silence because of social expectations that discourage vulnerability.

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“Mental health is not a weakness. Seeking help is not a sign of failure. We need to create safe spaces where men and boys can speak openly, heal and access support without fear of judgment,” said Khanyi.

He said while government has a role to play, it cannot tackle the crisis alone.

“We need a multisectoral approach involving families, schools, faith-based organisations and youth formations to create safe environments where men feel supported and understood.”

Khanyi said the campaign would focus on educating communities about mental health, encouraging men to seek professional help, and challenging harmful stereotypes that equate masculinity with emotional silence.

His comments come amid growing concern over the country’s suicide statistics.

According to the organisation, men account for nearly 80% of all recorded suicides in South Africa, making them four to five times more likely to die by suicide than women.

Earlier this year, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) issued a mental health alert warning of a significant increase in distress among men following the festive season.

The organisation’s latest survey found that 70% of respondents reported experiencing extreme financial anxiety, identifying economic hardship as one of the leading drivers of suicidal thoughts.

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SADAG said social stigma, emotional repression and deeply rooted societal expectations continue to prevent many men from seeking help until they reach crisis point.

“In South Africa, men are experiencing a critical suicide crisis, with fatal suicide rates four to five times higher than those of women,” the organisation said.

Khanyi said the problem extends beyond South Africa, with the World Health Organization identifying Africa as the region with the highest suicide rate globally.

He attributed the trend to a combination of poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, trauma and untreated mental health conditions.

“Too many men are carrying unbearable emotional burdens in silence because they believe asking for help makes them weak. We have to change that narrative before more families lose fathers, brothers, sons and husbands,” he said.

South Africa has a suicide rate of 23.5 deaths per 100 000 people, ranking among the highest on the African continent, behind only a handful of countries including Lesotho and Eswatini, where limited access to mental health services further compounds the crisis.

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Khanyi said the upcoming awareness tour will engage schools, churches, community organisations and workplaces across the country to encourage open conversations about depression, anxiety and suicide prevention.

He urged communities to become more attentive to warning signs and to support those struggling with their mental wellbeing. “Our message is simple: no one should suffer alone, and no life should be lost because someone felt they had nowhere to turn,” he said