By: Natasha Archary
Patrick Shai’s apparent suicide has highlighted mental health in men.
On Saturday, news that the actor who starred in The River had hung himself broke. His body was discovered by his wife Masechaba Shai on Saturday morning.
Many believe that Shai chose to end his life due to toxic ‘cancel culture’, and cyberbullying following his video rant threatening Cassper Nyovest.
However, his family and close friends say the actor seemed ‘troubled’ in the days leading to his suicide.
His death highlights the gravity of mental health issues which may have been accelerated after South Africans calling for Shai to be cancelled.
Despite issuing an apology to Cassper Nyovest and his mother for his poor choice of words, Patrick Shai came under fire over the past week.
Fellow South African actor Hlomla Dandala blamed cancel culture for the actor’s death.
Now, Somizi Mhlongo has spoken out sharing his personal experience with social media following allegations that he was abusive in his marriage to Mohale Motaung.
Somizi highlighted that in recent days, the suicides of Patrick Shai, Regina King’s son Ian Alexander Jr and Sinéad O’Connor’s 17-year old son have one thing in common, that men bottle things in.
I hope that what I say can help save someone because we have to be aware of what words can do, that certain actions can have an impact on someone's life. Social media is the biggest, the biggest cause of suicide.
Somizi has in the past spoken out about how toxic and vile Twitter can be.
The media personality said that we are now living in a world full of smiling pictures but sad and dark hearts.
Touching on mental health in men, Somizi said, “we don’t know what someone is going through, so just be kind.”
Knowing Patrick Shai personally, Somizi said that the incident with Cassper may have just been the straw that broke the camel’s back, saying that there must have been more that Shai was going through.
Touching on last year when South Africans called for Somizi to be cancelled, the television presenter said that he understands how devastating the impact of trolling and cyberbullying can be.
He urges people, men especially to find one person whom they can share their inner-most feelings with and reminded people that it’s okay not to be okay.
