Men in Lwandle were given permission to feel, grieve and heal when Navigating Adulthood: Mental Health Awareness for Men took place at the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum this past Saturday (9 May).
The event aimed to raise awareness of men’s mental health and create a safe space for men and boys to open up, free from judgement.
Organiser Lethu Sisusa (33), a Strand resident with a Bachelor of Arts in psychological counselling and a certification in neuroscience coaching, drew on personal experience to bring the event to life. Raised by a single mother alongside three brothers, she witnessed the toll of an absent father figure – one that left her brothers without direction and vulnerable to mental health challenges.
“I am not here to deconstruct the patriarchy, but to look at it through a new lens,” she said. “Because if you are unemployed as a man, the patriarchy looks down on you.”
Sisusa chose Lwandle deliberately, believing its distance from the city centre fuels unemployment and a shortage of resources. “The high number of suicides and crime in Lwandle is alarming,” she said.
Three prominent speakers addressed the gathering to help shift that reality. Actor, filmmaker and mental health advocate Earl Hendriks drew on his own experience of childhood sexual abuse to encourage men to speak up. Trauma counsellor Phinius Sebatsane, founder of Rea Thusana, argued that suppressed grief escapes through vices that feed anger and desperation, and ultimately leads to crime. Local poet Thabo Leholo drew the audience in with readings from his book, The Broken Pieces of My Heart.
“There is a misconception that men don’t cry. They do. Their tears just smell like beer,” said Sebatsane.
During a group discussion, Moneleli Nosta Lengoasa reflected on the African cultural expectation that men must provide, lead and protect – a burden he described as impossible to bear alone.
Trevor Pigg offered a different perspective: despite his background as a white man, he faced the same pressures as men from other races and cultures. The conversation made clear that masculine burden crosses racial lines.
The discussion kept returning to one conclusion: healing begins with honesty.
“Men must learn to do introspect, and to understand the importance of exercise and routine in the household,” said Sisusa.
You must be logged in to post a comment.