She is still not back on air after an emotional breakdown that led to her being hospitalised and diagnosed with Severe Chronic Depression. Sangoma, mom of three, and Kaya 959 radio host Dineo Rakana and her employers are still discussing whether she should return to the airwaves or let Sizwe Dhlomo continue to hold down the slot as he has been in the last few weeks since her sick leave.

SEVERE CHRONIC DEPRESSION

Dineo was given time off after she started opening up about her mental wellness. She shared how she understands people who are suicidal before admitting themselves to a mental wellness hospital. In less than a week, she left the hospital after she suspected a patient had been taking videos of her during recovery. Dineo has since opened up to say that she has been diagnosed with Severe Chronic Depression. Dineo recently admitted to no longer being suicidal. "I feel like I need to allow myself to reintroduce myself to myself because I’ve been a high-functioning person with depression. And this is dangerous! Very dangerous." She adds that she has been physically sick. "Really physically sick. I’ve suspected myself to not be well for a bit over two months now. And eventually, I know why! What a relief!" she says. "My symptoms have been in-sleep seizures, trouble waking up, trouble controlling my bladder, confusion, thoughts of harming myself, trouble with energy to do anything, and meaningful deep empathy/sympathy with those that have taken their lives." But she is grateful to be alive. "At the end of it all, I am here now. Trying to learn how to move forward without thinking I’m a fraud. It’s really hard on me, and if you knew half of the judgment I’m dealing with, you would probably want to have yourself admitted and never discharged! But I have faith in me. I believe in me. Depression is curable."

NO LONGER SUICIDAL

She is said to have been having back-and-forth discussions with the management at Kaya 959 to make her return to the station. A colleague tells ZiMoja that "We doubt she is coming back. She loves the show but she asked not to come back," he says. "Yes, she was not well, but she disappeared from work and didn’t say immediately. Phela, this is radio, to works with time. If you will not be coming in because you are sick, you need to say in time, to allow them to work on getting a stand-in. She disappeared. But on the other hand, understandably so, she was not well." The colleague says that Dineo has a three-year contract at Kaya 959, but she would like to terminate it. "There is no fight. But this makes things tricky for her co-host Sol Phenduka. So, as it stands there is a pending mutual separation negotiation between Dineo and the powers. There is possibly no chance of going back on the air." At the time of publishing, Dineo was not available for comment.