Lifeline Benoni rebuilds after years of neglect and debt

The overgrown gardens, faded paint, and empty rooms that used to be the East Rand Lifeline headquarters resembled the ongoing mental health crisis in Benoni and country.

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But the run-down property did not dampen the spirits of an eager group of volunteers who were uprooting weeds, ready to build the organisation from the ground up.

Volunteers clear weeds at East Rand Lifeline

Senior volunteer at Lifeline Benoni Ed Hatton said since the new board was elected in April last year, with Thuto Vukea appointed as the new director, things have started to change.

Hatton, who was awarded an honorary life membership of the centre, joined as a volunteer in 2005, after a good friend committed suicide 25 years ago.

“I thought I was okay, but I wasn’t. So then the psychologist recommended I look at Lifeline, and I have been here ever since. It’s been 21 years,” he said.

“Lifeline in Benoni was put together by a group of volunteers about 40 years ago, when they bought a stand with two sets of semi-detached houses and compacted all four together and opened it up as the centre,” Hatton said.

“Later, they bought another neighbouring property for an abused women’s shelter, but it eventually became the Rape Crisis Centre and later the counselling centre. It is not being used for that anymore because all our counselling is online,” he said.

“The previous five years, we have had some appalling administrations at the centre who run it into the ground. It got so bad that Lifeline South Africa intervened with an administrator for a year.

New board tackles debt

“It went well – until they appointed the next administrator, who did the same. When Lifeline SA took over, they ran out of money and did no maintenance. Now the property is in shambles and has left a huge amount of debt.”

Hatton said the ventre owed the municipality and SA Revenue Service money, and the previous security company withdrew their services due to non-payment.

“We have zero resources to start with.”

There was new hope after a credible board and director was elected who has been working tirelessly for the past year to try to put the centre back together again, he added.

The department of health spends 5% of its budget on mental health, of which 0.8% is spent in Gauteng.

Ed Hatton has been a volunteer at Lifeline Benoni for 21 years. Picture: Neil McCartney

So they have R67 billion and spent R480 million on mental health, of which 40% goes to the big psychiatric hospitals for in-patient care.

Zero mental health funding

“Another 35% goes to the regional and provincial hospitals, which have psychiatric wards. Which means about 80% goes to in-patient care in mental care. That 20% that’s left mostly goes to NGOs who care for in-patients and psychiatric outpatients.

“They are outsourced psychological facilities where people who are mentally disabled and unable to function on their own have a safe home. That leave 8% for community health care.

“The total budget for preventative mental health care in the province is zero,” Hatton said.

“Every day, on average, 23.5 people will commit suicide – roughly one an hour.

“For every suicide, it is estimated there are between 10 and 20 attempts.”

Hatton said suicide is often triggered by depression, trauma, financial difficulties and relationship difficulties.

23..5 people commit suicide every day

“Women tend to use pills or gas themselves, while men tend to use firearms or motor accidents. Hanging is common as well, because it is easy to do.”

Hatton said there is a sequence of steps leading to suicide. It starts with giving themselves permission to kill themselves, then they start thinking about the how and when.

“At that point, it becomes very risky,” Hatton said. That’s why counselling is so important.

“If we can intervene, we have a very high rate of stopping people.

“Many people experience depression, anxiety or trauma. And it’s getting worse nowadays…”

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