Parliamentary worker shot himself due to ‘bullying’ by ANC MP
The man whose suicide near parliament shocked SA recently quoted bible verses in his 'protest suicide' note.
An ambulance in the parliamentary precinct in Cape Town after an employee of parliament shot himself, 14 September 2018. Picture: ANA
Parliamentary manager Lennox Garane shocked South Africa on September 14 when he killed himself near our parliament buildings in Cape Town, where he worked.
Shortly afterwards The Citizen reported that a story on IOL suggested that insiders at 90 Plein Street allege the 57-year-old had been upset about his employment contract not being renewed in the days leading up to his death.
Now, TimesLive reports that the bullying Garane endured from an ANC MP who was appointed his manager may have led him to take his own life.
Garane left a suicide note titled “It’s a Protest Suicide,” in which he describes how his life became a misery due to his treatment at the hands of the manager. The note was passed around at this memorial service.
It also quoted several verses from the book of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible.
READ MORE: Parliamentary worker shot himself over employment contract – report
The suicide of Garane, who was a section manager in parliament’s international relations and protocol division‚ reportedly happened just after 11am on September 14 in the precinct’s international relations section located on the building’s second floor.
An unidentified parliament official told the publication they suspected the man entered the building through the underground parking.
“Because he’s a senior manager security down there is quite lax and that’s possibly how he could have slipped through the gun,” the publication’s source said.
According to an official statement from parliament, officials have been in the process of informing the deceased’s family. The presiding officers would visit them.
“The incident has, obviously, caused trauma and distress among parliament’s members of staff and the institution as a whole. Necessary assistance is being arranged to help them to come to terms with the tragedy,” said the statement.
Additional reporting by Kaunda Selisho
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