Mom demands answers after bullying leads to teen suicide
Daily Maverick · Takudzwa Pongweni ·
After surviving a traumatic sexual assault, 16-year-old Thembelihle Mbatha transferred schools to rebuild her life. Instead, relentless bullying at school and unheeded cries for help led to her death by suicide. Months later, her grieving family is still waiting for an official report from a school that has a history of student suicides.
Nontobeko Mbatha is a mother haunted by grief and searching for answers after her daughter’s death.
In September this year, her 16-year-old daughter, Thembelihle Mbatha, died by suicide. Now Mbatha is trying to make sense of what happened to a child she remembers as bubbly, friendly and loved by many.
“Thembelihle was my firstborn. She was the person others turned to for advice. She was a vibrant, hopeful teenager who loved to laugh and had bright ambitions for her future,” her mother said.
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