A Grade 11 boy at Kriel Hoërskool, Bafana Sithole, took his own life by hanging himself with his school tie in a school classroom storage on Thursday morning November 17.

Some of the Learners indicated that Bafana did this after a female friend tried to charge him with a false rape accusation. It’s reported that the girl filed a case with the police three months ago.

We've witnessed this before with the case of Lufuno, who was bullied to the extent of her believing suicide was her only way out. This case may be different, but the effect is ultimately the same. A 17 year old boy who had his whole life ahead of him took his life because of an alleged rape accusation made by a fellow classmate of his. The nature of their relationship may not have been revealed, but the repercussions of her words that were "just a joke", as she claims, are the loss of life. 

Our aim is not to have this young girl punished for her words, but to bring awareness of the impact that her words have caused. A life was lost. How many more lives have been ruined by such slanderous accusations? It has become so easy to accuse someone of rape that a single accusation made by a female is believed without basis or proof and innocent men receive hard judgement, jail time, and in this case death. It's time to take a stand and fight for the rights of innocent men who have no one standing in their corner, believing in their innocence.

Man's Not Barry Roux wrote: “The justice system has failed men in this world that they bow to think death is the only way out because no one is gonna believe a boy anyways even with circumstantial evidence he was gonna go to jail."

Bafana was accused three months ago, and no one believed him. Now he is no longer alive to fend for himself, but we are here to speak for him. To ensure that his suicide does not become just another statistic.

"Men always suffer, if Bafana Sithole didn't commit suicide, he would be facing criminal chargers but now that he is gone the girl states that she was joking. We are living in an injustice world"

Sign this petition to get Amanda Ndzimande to issue a formal statement, and public apology to his family, friends, and Kriel Hoerskool.

A life was lost and that we cannot get back, but we can give his family the peace that they deserve and restore honor to the name Bafana Sithole.