The community of Jabavu in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape is in shock after a mother allegedly killed her three children before taking her own life.
It is believed that she poisoned the children aged four and 12 on Monday.
On Tuesday, Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta said the killings have a destructive effect to society.
“Death on its own is tragic. But an alleged incident of suicide involving a mother and children has not only destructive effects to the immediate family, but an entire society.
“We must all do more to strengthen … our suicide prevention interventions,” said Fanta.
Fanta said the department has since dispatched teams of social workers to provide trauma debriefing to the family and community.
“Once done with their assessments, the team will advise on any possible additional psycho-social support interventions needed (by the family and community),” she said.
“In our collective efforts of preventing incidents of alleged suicide, we have realised the media as an important tool for mitigation. This, through empathetic reporting on alleged incidents of suicide, and to encourage people to seek vital help,” said Fanta.
She further said the general psycho-social support and bereavement counselling services are provided by the department to individuals and families.
In August, another woman from Tholeni in Butterworth, Eastern Cape also allegedly killed her three daughters before killing herself.
According to the police the murders could have been driven by poverty.
Bongeka Buso, died by suicide while the bodies of two of her children, Orabile, eight, and Oratile, five, were found on a bed, while her teenage daughter, was found with a knife in her neck on the floor next to the bed.
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