The mother of a teenage girl are desperately seeking answers following her daughter’s suicide last Friday, 24 March.
A sad Khululwa Mangena-Duka said she and 16-year-old Oyama Duka were alone at their residence in Mbekweni on the day of the incident.
“She and her younger sister shared a room, and her sister left around 07:30 for school,” she related. “Oyama didn’t go to school because she said she wasn’t writing exams on the day. After I locked the front door when my other daughter left I went back to bed, and Oyama was also still in bed. A few minutes after getting back into the bed I got up again to go the bathroom, and to get to the bathroom I have to walk past Oyama’s bedroom.”
Mangena-Duka said on her way to the bathroom she had the sudden urge to check on Oyama.
“I knocked once and opened the door and she was standing in front of the window. I called her and she didn’t respond. I then walked up to her to ask why she didn’t responded when I called her. I tapped on her shoulder and saw something wasn’t right. She had a shoelace tied around her neck.”
According to Mangena-Duka she called the neighbours for help. When the neighbours got to the house, Mangena-Duka said, her daughter still had a pulse. They rushed her to a local hospital in Paarl.
“At the hospital the nurse told me to open a file for Oyama, but while I was busy with that they called me. The doctor explained they tried to give her oxygen, but there was nothing else they could do. She died shortly afterwards.”
Mangena-Duka described Oyama as a quiet young girl who spoke only when spoken to. She was in Grade 10 at Noorder Paarl High School.
Talking about Oyama’s death is still unreal for Mangena-Duka, but the worst part is that she doesn’t know why she did what she did.
“After I got back from the hospital I searched through her room in the hope that she might have written a letter. The neighbours helped me, but there was nothing. She didn’t have many friends, but I did ask those she had if she had said anything to them. One friend told me Oyama said she missed her father, but she had never mentioned anything to me or her siblings. Her father died in 2013 when she was just seven years old.
“I am hoping that someone out there has more answers for me and will reach out to me so that I can at least know why.”
Oyama was a talented drum majorette and was a member of the of Drakenstein Majorettes team. Her coaches Mavine (Paulse) de Villiers and Rudean de Kock said they would remember her fondly for her “infectious smile and bristling energy”, which showed when she was participating in a competition.
“She started as a shy young lady in Grade 8 at Noorder Paarl High School and developed into a strong, beautiful young lady we were extremely proud of,” De Villiers said. “She started off with the team since the birth of Drakenstein Majorettes in 2020 and the entire team and management will miss her dearly. Rest in peace, young soul.”
Oyama would have celebrated her 17th birthday on 30 April.
WO Nceba Vanqa, Mbekweni police spokesperson, said Paarl Hospital informed the police of the incident.
“An inquest docket has been opened and is being investigated by detectives,” he said. “No foul play is suspected.”
