This 15-year-old boy enjoyed taking photos of himself at the family tree near his house. But the face on the selfies taken by Tiisetso Mohlomi only a few days ago, hid a terrible sadness.
Tiisetso had been telling his family he missed his father, who is in jail for rape, and on Monday night the grade 9 pupil hanged himself from the tree in Free State, South Africa.
Tiisetso’s mum Malefu Nokotema, 32, said she last saw her son when he left to go and look for his uncle.
“But my son went out and hanged himself. He loved taking photos of himself with his cellphone posing at the tree. He was a smart boy and never failed at school. He never showed signs of depression or threatened to kill himself.”
Tiisetso’s uncle, Serame Morake, said his nephew had been talking about missing his father.
He told Daily Sun: “His father was sentenced to 15 years in 2012 and my nephew has not been the same since then. He said he missed him and was worried about his father’s wellbeing in prison.”
But he didn’t think it would lead to suicide. “He shocked the family. They loved him very much,” said Serame.
The suicide tree has now been cut down by the family. His aunt Mamokete Moeletsi, 51, said they loved the tree.
“But we don’t want a reminder of the tragedy. The tree must fall before it also claims another soul.”
