A 17-year old  committed suicide after being accused of raping a fellow schoolmate. The grade 11 learner at in Hoerskool Kriel in Mpumalanga left a death note directed to her mother where she asked her to accept that he was done living and that he was in a better place.According to information released by the Department of Education in Mpumalanga, Sithole was found hanging in one of the classrooms at his school after unfounded rape allegations.

SUICIDE NOTE

It is alleged that the girl who had accused learner of rape claimed that she was not serious but she was only joking about the rape case.In a moving letter that was directed to his mother, he wrote: "Mama, I hope this letter finds you. By the time you are reading this I will be already gone. Let me love you and leave you. Sengihambile maye. I have suffered in this world all alone. I was accused by those who are better than me. May she forgive me for what I did to her but I did not rape her. I am not a rapist,' Sithole said in the letter.In a moving letter, the boy said that his heart stopped functioning when the rape accusations began. "My heart of gold has stopped beating. What was my fault? No one knew this day would come. I am now leaving her in the darkest world and her sky will turn grey. May my tears will be a golden memory in her life. I am not a rapist. What did I do for her to hate me this much? I have opened and closed my grave. I have fought a good fight and have finished my race.My time to be on this earth has come to an end."

INVESTIGATING THE CIRCUMSTANCES

Provincial Education spokesperson Gerald Sambo said that the police in Mpumalanga were investigating the circumstances leading to the death of the learner.He further confirmed that the department had already visited the family to as part of showing support through this trying times. The boy is said to have killed himself on Thursday shortly after finishing writing his exams. Hoerskool Kriel  took to their social media page and paid their respect to the late Sithole. Many parents and schoolmates sympathised with his mother.