{"id":7648,"date":"2026-01-06T17:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/7648\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T17:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:38:08","slug":"police-record-seven-suicides-and-one-attempt-across-namibia-during-new-year-period-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/7648\/","title":{"rendered":"Police record seven suicides and one attempt across Namibia during New Year period &#8211; News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The police have confirmed that seven suicide cases and one attempted suicide were recorded in different parts of the country between 31 December 2025 and 3 January 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The cases were reported in the Oshikoto, Erongo, Khomas and Hardap regions, according to the weekend crime report released by police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Shikwambi said the incidents occurred during the New Year period, a time that mental-health professionals say can be difficult for many people due to financial pressure, isolation and unresolved personal challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The police confirmed that no foul play is suspected in the reported cases, and that investigations have been opened where required.<\/p>\n<p>Mental-health practitioners caution that reporting on suicide should serve as an opportunity to encourage people who are struggling to seek help before reaching a crisis point.<\/p>\n<p>According to the World Health Organisation, suicide rates often increase during periods of economic stress, with financial hardship, debt and unemployment among the leading risk factors that can aggravate mental health challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The organisation, however, stresses that suicide is preventable through early intervention, social support and access to mental health services.<\/p>\n<p>Namibia Social Workers Association president Lovisa Nghipandulwa says financial challenges which are normally experienced after holidays, unemployment, a sudden loss of income and unresolved relationship conflicts are among the top triggers for suicidal behaviour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut suicide is 100% preventable if people open up and seek support,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Nghipandulwa says isolation worsens desperation, while speaking to a friend, family member, social worker, counsellor or even a pastor could create the lifeline needed to prevent a tragedy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is always something that can be done. No situation is ever completely hopeless,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian\u2019s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours \u2013 occasionally with a light, witty touch.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nambian-ai-article-placeholder.png\" style=\"max-width: 200px; text-align: center; margin: 0 auto;\" alt=\"AI placeholder\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-0\">The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency,<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\twhile<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmaintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tStay informed with The Namibian \u2013 your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tonly N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy \u2013 <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/esubs.namibian.com.na\/subscribe.aspx?t=2135&amp;eid=09831ff3-a8e7-45f9-8bd8-63b0ace49490\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Subscribe Now!<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The police have confirmed that seven suicide cases and one attempted suicide were recorded in different parts of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102],"class_list":{"0":"post-7648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-namibia","8":"tag-namibia"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}