Durban - POOR performance in her final exams allegedly prompted Phoenix teenager Santisha Shunmugam to end her life.
To add to their grief, Shunmugam’s family have been waiting since Friday for her body to be released by the Phoenix mortuary.
A protracted strike by mortuary workers across KwaZulu-Natal has resulted in a backlog of post-mortems.
KZN Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said they had called on the South African army to help with the backlog of post-mortems.
He passed his condolences to Shunmugam’s family and said they were working around the clock to ensure families were not put through further trauma by waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.
Shunmugam, 17, a Grade 11 pupil at Eastbury Secondary School was found dead by her mother on Thursday afternoon, the day she had received her report.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said when Shunmugam’s mother arrived home from work, around 5 pm, she found her daughter had ended her life. She had used a green nylon rope and hanged herself from the rafters in the lounge of their Eastbury home, said Gwala.
She said an inquest docket had been opened.
The family declined to speak.
Community leader Pastor Mervyn Reddy, who has been assisting the family, said it was believed that poor exam results had driven Shunmugam to end her life.
“I was told that she failed two subjects and this made her very upset. I appeal to parents not to pressure their children. I understand the pain this family is going through I lost my daughter under similar circumstances earlier this year.”
Reddy said the delays at the mortuary were unacceptable and his sources had told him that there were more than 15 bodies waiting for post-mortems at the Phoenix mortuary alone.
The spokesperson for the Department of Education Muzi Mhlambi said the number of children committing suicide in KZN was concerning.
He said subjects such as life orientation were geared towards teaching pupils how to deal with challenges.