Fathers Matter urges male Midrand SAPS members struggling with mental health issues to speak up
Jeff Cele, Fathers Matter facilitator encourage men on the verge suicide, to seek help because speaking with others might help.
As part of International Men’s Day, a global awareness campaign, Men for Change and Fathers Matter, addressed Midrand police’s male members at the station.
The day is celebrated on November 19 to help men with parental alienation, abuse, and suicide. However, the discussion was held on November 17.
Led by Jeff Cele facilitator at Fathers Matter, he told those in attendance to look after their mental well-being and advised them to seek help when needed.
Cele urged men to speak up early and said that it was imperative for men to be vulnerable if they were overwhelmed or swamped by mental health or family issues.
He said men must show love to their families and love their children and spouses even when things are not working out. “Firstly, I want to say as men we must preach what we practise. Secondly, it is also vital that men also make use of pit-stops in their lives just to refuel so that they can finish the race of being present fathers in their families. Because the truth of the matter is that you can’t give what you do not have,” said Cele.
He added that men need to have more friends to get good advice from. Cele said made an example of the iceberg saying, many men hit the iceberg because they accumulate more problems with the hope of solving them but not getting solutions.
“Men must also refrain from using alcohol and drugs as a form of escaping from their problems. This statement that men don’t cry is wrong because what do you do when you are overwhelmed and want to cry? This statement is wrong and sometimes seeking professional help is the solution than bottling this up,” added Cele.
Deputy chairperson of Men for Change and chairperson of Doda Ndonda, Sergeant Buntu Magqibelo said, “We as Men for Change planned to celebrate this day. We have done collaboration work with them [Fathers Matter] before and that is why we invited them. And I believe that for something that is starting, it is encouraging. to see these are not baby steps but solid steps and we planning to have another session on finance session because it is something that eludes other men, myself included”.
The session is scheduled for December 8 at the Midrand Police Station.
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