'I demand justice'

The distraught mother of a 13-year-old schoolgirl who committed suicide by hanging says her daughter would not have died if she had not been threatened.

Ms Khuthadzo Vele of Duthuni spoke out after her daughter, Rialivhuwa Netsianda, apparently took her life after an altercation with a fellow learner at her school. Netsianda, a Grade 7 learner at John Marubini Primary School, committed suicide last Monday (26 February). She was discovered in her room and taken to a nearby clinic, where she was pronounced dead.

Information obtained by the Limpopo Mirror suggests that the girl had earlier had a confrontation with another girl from the same school. The deceased girl allegedly bit the other girl on the hand in self-defence. The mother of the deceased, Ms Khuthadzo Vele, recounted that later that day, the mother of the other girl had arrived at their home, accompanied by her daughter, and demanded money to take the injured girl to the hospital.

“She threatened my daughter with arrest, even though my daughter had asked for forgiveness. We gave them the R50 we had in the house, but they still insisted on pressing charges. I believe my daughter could not bear it, so she pretended to take a bath in her room. We only realised later she had hanged herself, and we rushed her to the local clinic, where she was pronounced dead,” she said.

Vele further emphasised that her daughter would not have taken her own life had she not been threatened with legal action. “I demand justice in this matter. This woman shows no remorse. If she cared, she would have come herself or at least sent someone to offer condolences, but she hasn't done that. This only adds to our pain, but we are grateful to all who assisted us during this difficult time,” Vele said.

Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed the incident. “Information received indicates that the deceased had a confrontation with another learner on their way home from school, and the parent of the other child subsequently came to her home and threatened to press charges against her. Later, she was found hanging in her room, but her mother took her to a local clinic, where she passed away. An inquest case docket has been opened and is under investigation,” he said.

Date:08 March 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

Read: 2552