Ezibeleni men’s forum tackles silent mental health crisis

Vuyisile Fongo calls it “the conversation nobody wants to have”.

On Friday, 19 June 2026, his new NPO Ikhaya Lendoda Men’s Care Forum was launched in Ezibeleni, and the first agenda item is not blame. It’s listening.

Fongo and other men in Ezibeleni started the forum after watching too many men in his community disappear quietly. Not physically. Emotionally.

“Created to support men who are not given attention and neglected by the very same family he is trying to build,” he told Komani News.

That line sits heavy because it cuts both ways.

Ikhaya Lendoda means “Home of Men”. But Fongo is clear: this is not an anti-women space.

“Ikhaya stands against GBV and it should be fought whenever it rears its ugly head. In the same vein we also fight against victimization of men.”

The number that won’t leave Fongo alone: men’s suicide rate in Chris Hani is “4 times higher than women”.

He won’t quote a study. He quotes funerals, hospital visits, and WhatsApp messages from men who had nowhere else to go.

“Ikhaya Lendoda men’s care forum is also dealing with the mental health of men empower him with skills coupled with group therapy,” he says.

The model is simple. Talk first. Skills second. Accountability always.

Group therapy sessions will run weekly. The idea is to give men language for pain they’ve been told to swallow, then tools to rebuild. Welding, coding, farming basics, CV writing — whatever opens a door to income and dignity.

The launch on Friday is step one. Step two happens Thursday in the Ezibeleni police station boardroom, where Fongo will sit with stakeholders to “craft the actual launch with all stakeholders including government departments”.

Expected around the table: Social Development, SAPS, Health, and the House of Traditional Leaders. Fongwe says he wants police and traditional leaders in the room from day one because GBV, mental health, and community safety can’t be siloed.

“We sit as stakeholders at police station boardroom,” he said. The symbolism matters. A men’s care forum planning its future inside a police station — the same place where many men only appear after things have broken.

Fongo isn’t pitching Ikhaya Lendoda as the fix for everything. He’s pitching it as a start.

“The forum invites all men who feel neglected, unsupported, or struggling with mental health to attend the launch and join group therapy sessions.”

He knows the pushback will come. Some will hear “men’s forum” and assume it’s a space to bash women or dodge responsibility. He’s heard it already.

His answer: “We are not enemies. A man who heals is less likely to harm. A man who has skills is less likely to be desperate. A man who talks is less likely to disappear.”

Friday’s launch won’t solve Chris Hani’s suicide rate. But in Ezibeleni, a room is opening. For fathers, brothers, sons who were taught to provide but never taught to ask for help. For men who want to fight GBV and also be seen.

As Fongo puts it: “Home starts with being heard.”