Lentswe, Orkney - A young girl who failed her matric exam last year hanged herself from a tree in her parent’s backyard.
People searched for hours for Onthatile Makgale who went missing after returning home from school on Friday January 19. Her sister, Kgomotso, said she went to her school (Vaal Reefs Technical High School) with her best friend to fetch their matric results. “They brought her home but she told them to drop her off in town because she wanted to go to Clicks. She walked home and was not seen again.’’
When it became dark and no one could find the young girl, they called on friends and community members to search for her. “We went to report her missing at the police station but were told to wait another 24 hours. I then met with the NECP neighbourhood watch in town and they said they will help look for her,’’ Kgomotso said.
The neighbourhood watch members started at their home in Keats Avenue where they discovered the body hanging from a tree in the backyard. It was 23:30. “Our family want to thank the NECP group for what they’ve done for us. Thank you DJ du Plooy, Annette du Plooy and Donovan Pretorius.’’
The family is distraught over the death of the young Onthatile. “Suicide cannot be a solution to any problem. Just because you have failed that doesn’t mean you are failure, you can still reach the goal you want to achieve. There’s a lot of people who have failed their matric but today they managed to conquer their goals,’’ Kgomotso said.
Col Adele Myburgh, police spokesperson, said no foul play is suspected.
