The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among South African men aged 15 to 24. Men account for the overwhelming majority of suicide deaths in our country: of the 13,774 suicides recorded in 2023, 10,861 were men. These numbers, already staggering, are likely underestimates. Many parasuicides go unrecorded, and stigma silences families and communities.
Behind these numbers are people with dreams and aspirations – our brothers, sons, classmates, and friends. They are not faceless statistics. They remind us of how fragile life can be when hope and opportunity collapse under the weight of social ills.
Research consistently shows that persistent social problems – poverty, violence, unemployment – correlate with and often cause poor mental health outcomes. Young men in South Africa are especially vulnerable to substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress, and externalising conditions such as aggression.
Although we cannot yet prove a direct link between unemployment or educational exclusion and suicide, evidence shows a close connection between social ills and mental distress. It is reasonable to assume that depression and substance abuse, shaped by harsh socio-economic realities, drive suicidal behaviour in many young men.
The crisis deepens when we consider unemployment. In the first quarter of 2025, Statistics South Africa reported that 62.4% of young people aged 15 to 24 were unemployed. According to the University of Cape Town’s Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, 30% of young people have not been in education, employment or training for the past decade.
This is not just a crisis of numbers — it is a crisis of identity and hope. It is the antithesis of President Ramaphosa’s “Tintswalo” narrative. For every Tintswalo, there are millions left behind. The psychological effects of this exclusion manifest in rising violence, substance abuse, and intimate partner abuse, and mass killings— symptoms of a society fraying at its core.
This takes us to the heart of the matter: the intersection of masculinity and mental health. Too many young men are socialized to suppress emotions and to equate strength with silence. The feminist scholar Bell Hooks reminds us that regressive masculinity demands emotional suppression, enforced by men against other men. This is visible in our state responses, which too often treat substance use and violence only as criminal problems, not as symptoms of deeper wounds.
We must interrogate how families and communities shape manhood. What do boys learn about mental health, help-seeking, emotional wellness, consent, and respect? What is the role of fathers in shaping healthy masculinities? The State of South African Fathers report is a valuable resource in answering these questions.
Equally, we must ask how social media, technology, and the rise of the “manosphere” influence boys’ perceptions of masculinity. What hegemonic narratives are shaping our sons’ sense of manhood — and how can we challenge them?
Some may ask: why focus on men, when they cause so much harm in our society? South Africa has one of the highest femicide rates in the world, with about seven women murdered every day. Rates of gender-based violence are catastrophic. But men are also overwhelmingly victims of violence: they make up 70% of murder victims — and, often, the perpetrators too.
Clearly, we face not only a crime problem but a masculinity problem. We cannot continue to address it only through law enforcement. It requires deeper social change – in our homes, schools, churches, sports fields, and neighborhoods.
The Argentine psychologist Isaac Prilleltensky reminds us that justice is a prerequisite for wellness. Without addressing the social conditions of poverty, unemployment, and inequality, we cannot expect mental health interventions to succeed.
At the same time, there are immediate steps we can take:
- Normalize men’s mental health care by integrating services into schools, workplaces, and community spaces.
- Reframe masculinity through education, fatherhood programmes, and public campaigns that promote care, respect, and emotional literacy.
- Build support networks where boys and men can speak openly, without stigma, about vulnerability.
- Strengthen partnerships between mental health professionals, communities, faith leaders, and civil society to root interventions in cultural and social realities.
Mental health practitioners have a social responsibility to respond to these issues. But the responsibility does not end with professionals—it belongs to all of us: parents, educators, community leaders, and policymakers. To build a just and free society, we must shape new forms of manhood rooted in dignity, care, and justice.
South Africa’s future depends on how we respond to this crisis of masculinity and mental health. The lives of our young men, and the health of our nation, hang in the balance.
Siphelele Nguse is a clinical psychologist, scholar activist, and PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University
Postscript: The Baptist Community Church hosted the Men`s Health Conference on 4 October 2025 in Temba, Hammanskraal. For more information about the event, contact 0760283429.
