Suicide - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Disgraced financial executive Markus Jooste found dead in apparent suicide ahead of court appearance

IN a shocking turn of events, disgraced financial executive Markus Jooste, former chief executive of Steinhoff, was found dead from an apparent suicide in Hermanus, South Africa, on Wednesday. Jooste's death occurred just a day before he was scheduled to hand himself over to the police to face charges of fraud and corruption, among others. The suicide follows the publication of a story revealing that Jooste had been fined 475 million rand ($25.15 million) by South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) for publishing false and misleading financial statements. Steinhoff, the retail group majority-owned by Jooste, has faced significant losses…

Dec

2023

By HYONHEE SHIN and SOO-HYANG CHOI

Actor Lee of Oscar-winning ‘Parasite’ found dead amid drugs probe

WORLD

LEE Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor who drew global attention with his performance as the wealthy patriarch in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite", was found dead in an apparent suicide in a Seoul park, officials in the capital said. Lee, 48, who met a gory end in the 2019 film, South Korea's first to win any Oscar, had faced police questioning three times over accusations of illegal drug use amid a government crackdown, with one session running 19 hours over the weekend. The actor had said he was tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess trying to blackmail him, the…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Suicide in Ghana: society expects men to be providers – new study explores this pressure

HEALTH

SUICIDE is a complex behaviour that is widely regarded as a significant public health issue across the globe. It is influenced by psychiatric, psychological, biological, social, cultural, economic and existential factors. In most countries, the rate of male suicides is between 3 and 7.5 times higher than that of females even though suicide ideation (thoughts) and attempts are more frequent for females. JOHNNY ANDOH-ARTHUR, Senior Lecturer, Psychology, University of Ghana The World Health Organization reported in 2020 that approximately 1,993 suicides occurred in Ghana annually. A report in Ghana on suicide attempt trends over four years also revealed that 707…