'IHE CENlRAI4 AFRICAN
JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Suicide in Zimbabwe
DAVID LESTER, C WILSON
SUMMARY
This paper reports suicide rates for Zimbabwe in the
1980s and compares them to rates reported in an
earlier paper. Overall, the suicide rate has remained
quite stable in Zimbabwe, though the methods used
for suicide have changed somewhat
INTRODUCTION
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).
Rittey and Castle 41 published data on the suicide rate
in Zimbabwe for 1969-1970, but since then Zim-
babwe has undergone great political and social
change. It is of interest to explore then whether
changes have occurred in the suicide rate in Zim-
babwe, and the present paper reports on recent sui-
cide rates in Zimbabwe and examines differences by
ethnicity, sex and age.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Data for the present study of suicides in Zimbabwe
came from the Central Statistical Office. Data for
1981-1982 were provided in summary form, while
data for 1983-1986 were provided with a listing of
each suicide during those years with information on
Richard Stockton State College,
Pomona. New Jersey, USA.
Central Statistical Office,
Harare, Zimbabwe.
147
sex, age, ethnic status, marital status, occupation,
method for suicide and date. Rittey and Castle 41
reported that their data were obtained from the office
of the Attorney General.
RESULTS
For the period 1981-1982, the suicide rate in Zim-
babwe was 6.8 per 100,000 per year. The rate for
males was 10.5 and for females 3.3. Incidentally ,the
homicide rate in Zimbabwe during the same period
was 10.3. The homicide rate for males was 16.8. and
for females 4.0.
Data by ethnic group are available for both
1969-1970and 1983-1986and are shown in Table 1.
It can be seen that the rates for Africans and Eu-
ropeans have remained remarkably steady over this
fifteen period, both showing a slight rise. The rates
for Asians/Coloureds appear to have increased, but
the numbers on which these rates are very small and
so open to great variation from year to year.
The suicide rate of African females has increased
proportionately more since 1969-1970 (see Table 1).
resulting in a change in male/female rate ratio from
about 4:1 in 1969-1970 to 3:1 in 1983-1986.
When looked at by age, the very high rate of
suicide in African females after the age of 60 ob-
served in the 1970 data no longer appears (see Table
2).
The data for the 1980s is based upon a much
larger sample and so provide more reliable rates. It is
also noteworthy that the suicide rates of those in the
20's have inreased greatly between the two time
periods.
Great changes in the methods used for suicide
have taken place. In 1970, Africans used mainly
 CBNTRAL AfRICAN Vo134. No.7 July 1988
JOURNAL OP Ml!DIClNII

TABLE 1 - Crude Suicide Rates by Ethnic Group

1969-1970 1983-1986

total male female total male female

African 5.6 8.9 2.2 6.9 10.5 3.4
European 14.4 21.4 7.4 17.6 29.8 5.8
Asian/Coloured 0.8 9.7 18.0 1.4

TABLE 2 - African Suicide Rates by Age and Sex

1969-1970 1983-1986

male female male female

10-19 3.2 1.4 3.2 2.7
20-29 9.5 3.4 22.2 6.2
30-39 22.5 2.6 25.5 5.3
40-49 24.9 5.3 21.3 5.8
50-59 16.8 5.8 23.4 9.7
60-69 29.7 21.1 33.4 10.2
70+ 34.4 28.8 30.6 9.3

n 216 55 1630 547

hanging for suicide, but by the 1980s, they had DISCUSSION

Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

switched to a considerable extent to poisons, with

women using ftre on rare occasions. Europeans are
much more likely than Africans to use ftrearms and
carbon monoxide for suicide. Over the ftfteen year
period, Europeans have also changed to using hang-
ing more than they did in 1970.
Rittey and Castle 6 reported mean ages in 1970 of
40 for African sucides and 46 for European suicides.
For the period 1983-1986, the mean ages were 37.4
(SD = 16.9) for Africans and 47.3 (SD = 16.9) for
Europeans.
Recently Lester S has noted that the availability of
the methods for committing suicide certainly affects
the choice of method for suicide and may even affect
the suicide rate. In this regard, it is interesting to note
that whereas only 3.1 percent of Africans used ftre-
anns for suicide during 1983-1986,56.5 percent of
policemen committing suicide and 63.5 percent of
soldiers committing suicide,_ used ftrearms. The
availability of frreanns for these men clearly in-
creases their use for suicide, and it would be of
interest to explore whether these occupational
groups have higher suicide rates than other groups.
Overall, then, the suicide rates in Zimbabwe in the
1980s appear to be similar to those in 1970, both for
men and women. There have been some changes in
the methods used for suicide, but these changes do
not appear to have affected the overall suicide rate
much at all.
Despite the objections that have been made in the
past to reliability of offtcial suicide rates (for ex-
ample, Douglas, 2), research has indicated that they
appear to be valid. For example, Lester 3 showed that
immigrant groups to Australia have relative suicide
rates that are almost identical to those of their home
nations.
The present results indicate also that suicide rates
in Zimbabwe have remained quite stable despite po-
litical and social change. Also of interest is that the
higher suicide rate of Europeans in Zimbabwe in the
1980s parallels the higher rates of Europeans in
Zimbabwe in 1970 and also the higher rates in
Europeans found in the U.S.A. and in South Africa,
Lester 4.
The changing methods for suicide in Zimbabwe

148
 CBNrRAL APRICAN Vol 34. No.7 July 1988
JOURNAL OF MEDlaNE

from 1969-1970 to the 1980s, reflect the impact of A Survey of Children attending a
the availability of methods for suicide on the choice Rehabilitation Centre in Harare.
of method and the importance of fads for suicide. For Implications for Rehabilitation
example, the choice of pesticides for suicide is very
common in rural areas, Berger I. and the use of
ftrearms for suicide among police and soliders in JMHANEKON
Zimbabwe reflects the availability of ftrearms in
these groups. Similarly, the increasing use of fIre SUMMARY
among young females probably reflects growing
awareness of this method among this particular A survey of the diagnostic categories of children who
group of population. attend a large urban rehabilitation centre in Harare
was undertaken. The results were compared with a
TABLE 3 - Methods Used/or Suicide similar survey done in 1983. It was found that the
number of children with polio had dropped dramati-
1969-1970 1983-1986 cally and that the number of children with cerebral
Africans palsy attending the centre had doubled. The inci-
male female male female dence of inherited disorders had also increased con-
hanging 94% 93% 76% 55%
siderably. The implications of the ftndings are dis-
poison 1% 2% 16% 35%
fuearrns 0% 0% 4% 0%
cussed and related to the rehabilitation requirements
cutting 1% 2% 1% 0% of disabled children.
fue 0% 9%
other 4% 3% 3% 1% INlRODUCTION

1969-1970 1983-1986
The Rehabilitation Centre that is surveyed in this
Africans Versus Europeans paper is a large urban centre that provides formal
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

Africans Europeans Africans Europeans education up to Grade 7 and rehabilitation services.

hanging 94% 4% 71% 14% It is one of the few centres that cater for children from
poison 1% 26% 21% 15% lower socia-economic circumstances and all the
CO gas 0% 22% 00/0 26% school children reside at the centre during term-time.
fuearrns 0% 42% 3% 34% Consequently. the children admitted are from the
cutting 1% 1% 1% 5% whole of Zimbabwe.
fue 2% 0% The admission policy is such that only those
other 4% 5% 2% 6%
disabled children who will be able to follow the
normal school curriculum and who will benefIt from
rehabilitation services are admitted to the_ school as
REFERENCES in-patients. There are also a small number ofchildren
admitted who are educationally sub-normal and at-
1. Berger LR, Suicides and pesticides in Sri Lanka. Ameri·
can Journal of Public Health, 1988; 78: 826·828. tend sPecial classes. The Rehabilitation Department
2. Douglas ro, The social meanings of suicide. Princeton: also provides therapy to pre-school children and
Princeton University Press, 1967. older children who have not found suitable place-
3. Lester, D. Migration and suicide. Medical Journal of ment on an out-patient basis.
Australia, 1972; 1: 941·942.
4. Lester D, Suicide and homicide in open and closed In 1983, Reeler and Powell' published a survey of
societies. Psychological Reports, 1971; 29: 430. the diagnostic categories and associated handicaps of
5. Lester D. Can we prevent suicide? New York: AMS, an African physically handicapped population. Their
1988.
6. Riney DAW & Castle WM, Suicides in Rhodesia.
Central A/ricanJowrnal of Medicine, 1972; 18: 97·100. Department of Rehabilitation
Godfrey Huggins School of Medicine.

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