Bindura University of Science Education Faculty Of

BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF COMMERCE

DEPARTMENT OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY STUDIES

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF INCREASING SUICIDE CASES: A CASE STUDY OF GURUVE DISTRICT.

B1439619

TRACY MAPURANGA

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HONOURS) DEGREE IN POLICE AND SECURITY STUDIES OF BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION.

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Topic: An investigation into the causes of increasing suicide cases.

(A case study of Guruve District, period 2012 to 2014)

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Name of author : Mapuranga Tracy

Registration number : B1439619

Title of project : An investigation into the causes of increasing suicide cases (A case study of Guruve District: 2012-2014).

Year Granted : 2017.

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Permanent address : House Number 60 ZRP Old Camp, Highfield HARARE.

DECLARATION FORM

I, Mapuranga Tracy declare that this research project is my original work and has not been copied or extracted from previous sources without due acknowledgement of the source.

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DEDICATION

This research project is dedicated to my father and mother who have always been my source of inspiration. Their unequivocal support made the completion of this study a reality.

ABSTRACT

Suicide is being committed everywhere in the world, it has been observed to be on the increase in Zimbabwe and little is being done to the increasing cases of suicide. The study investigated the main causes of increasing suicide cases in Guruve District and it was guided by the following objectives: to establish the main causes of suicide, to describe the groups of people mostly associated with suicide, to determine the impact of suicide and to establish ways of managing or reducing suicide cases. A descriptive survey design was used in carrying out this research. Out of the target population of 124 041 based on 2012 census and 105 police officers stationed at Guruve Police Station. Simple random sampling and stratified random sampling were respectively used to select 266 participants from Guruve residents and 20 police participants from Guruve Police station. The data was collected using interviews and questionnaires. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted to analyse data. The study found out that domestic problems, economic hardships, unwanted pregnancies and being HIV positive were some of the contributory causes of suicide in which, married men were found to be mostly associated with committing suicide followed by married women. Recommendations were that, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Social Welfare, Non Governmental Organisations and the Government itself needs to put their utmost efforts and find ways to reduce the cases of suicide. Suicide cases need to be prioritized and dealt with as a case of emergency. Further studies are recommended on exploring why married women are committing suicide more than women and to find out methods being used in committing suicide.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the almighty God’s love that kept me alive up to this day. Most importantly, this work could not been successful without the professional guidance of my supervisor Mr Maunga who through unparalleled dedication and professional supervision, my job was made easier. His constructive condemnation of the study resulted in this comprehensive and informative document

I would also like to thank the respondents and focus group participants who made this study a success because of their unwavering support.

Lastly, I wish to express my heartfelt gratefulness to my sponsor and employer, the ZRP for according me this opportunity in my police life to empower myself and my career and fulfil my childhood aspiration. May this wonderful sponsor also be extended to others.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

TITLE PAGE………………………………………………………………………………..i RELEASE FORM…………………………………………………………………………. ii APPROVAL FORM………………………………………………………………………. ii DECLARATION FORM…………………………………………………………………..iv DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………...v ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………...vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………...... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………….viii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………….xi LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………………...xi LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………………...... xi CHAPTER I…………………………………………………………………………………1 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM…………………………………………………...1 1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...... 1 1.1 Background to the study…...... 1 1.2 Statement of the problem…………………………………………………………..……4 1.3 Research Objectives…………………………………………………………………...... 4 1.4 Research Questions……………………………………………………………………...5 1.5 Significance of the study………………………………………………………….….....5 1.6 Assumptions…………………………………………..…………………………………5 1.7 Delimitations of the study……………………………………………………………....6 1.8 Limitations of the study……………………………………………………………...... 6 1.9 Definition of key terms………………………………………………………………....7

1.10 Organisation of the study…...... 7 1.11 Summary……………………………………………………………………………....8 CHAPTER II……………………………………………………………………………….9 LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………………….9 2.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….9 2.1What is literature review………………………………………………...... 9 2.2Purpose of literature review...... 9 2.3 An overview of suicide cases...... 10 2.4 Theoretical literature review...... 11 2.4.1 What are the main causes of suicide?...... 11 2.4.1.1 Interpersonal Suicide Theory...... 11 2.4.1.2 Contagion Theory...... 12 2.4.2 Who is mostly associated with suicide?...... 13 2.4.2.1The labelling Theory………………………………………………………...... 13 2.4.2.2 Rational Suicide Theory...... 13 2.4.3 Impact of Suicide...... 14 2.4.4 How to manage suicide...... 15 2.4.4.1Management of suicide by the World Health Organisation...... 15 2.5 Empirical literature review...... 16 2.5.1 Suicide in India...... 16

2.5.2 Suicide in Canada...... 17 2.5.3 Suicide in Australia...... 17 2.5.4 Suicide in Kenya...... 18

2.5.5 Suicide in Uganda...... 18 2.6 Justification of the study...... 19 2.6 Summary...... 20 Chapter III...... 21

Research Methodology...... 21 3.0 Introduction...... 21 3.1 Research Design...... 21 3.1.1 Descriptive Research Design...... 21 3.1.2 Justification for choosing descriptive research design...... 22

3.2 Target Population...... 22

3.3 Sample of the Study...... 23 3.3.1 Sampling Technique...... 23 3.3.2 Justification for using Simple random and stratified Sampling...... 24 3.4 Data collection Instruments...... 24 3.4.1 Questionnaires...... 25 3.4.2 Advantages of Questionnaires...... 25 3.4.3 Disadvantages of questionnaires...... 25 3.4.4 Justification for Using the Questionnaire...... 26 3.5 Interviews...... 26 3.5.1 Advantages of using questionnaires...... 26 3.5.2 Disadvantages of Interviews...... 27 3.5.3 How the Researcher Overcome the disadvantages...... 27 3.5.4 Justification for using Personal Interviews...... 27 3.6 Data Collection Procedures...... 27 3.6.1 Primary Data...... 28 3.6.2 Secondary Data...... 28 3.7 Validity and Reliability of Research Instruments...... 28 3.7.1 Reliability...... 28 3.7.2 Testing Validity and Reliability...... 29 3.7.3 Validity...... 29 3.8 Data Presentation and Analysis...... 29

3.9 Ethical Considerations...... 30 3.10 Summary...... 30 CHAPTER IV……………………………………………………………………………...31 DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION…………………....….…..31 4.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….………31 4.1 Response Rate...... …………………………………………………...... 31 4.1.1 Questionnaire analysis...... 31 4.1.2 Interview Analysis...... 32 4.2 Demographic Data of the Respondents...... 32 4.2.1 Percentage response by age...... 33 4.2.2 Percentage response by sex...... 34 4.3 Causes of suicide...... 35 4.3.1 Causes of suicidal cases...... 36 4.4 People Associated with Suicide...... 39 4.5 The Impact of suicide...... 41 4.6 Ways of managing Suicide...... 43 4.7 Summary…………………………………………………………………………...... 44 CHAPTER V…………………………………………………………………………….....45 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS…………………..….....45 5.0 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….....45 5.1 Summary of the study…………………………………………………………...... 45 5.2 Summary of the findings...... 46 5.3 Conclusions...... ………………………………………………………………………47 5.4 Recommendations...... ……………………………………………………………...... 47 5.5 Further Studies...... 49 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………...... 50

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

Table 3.1 Sample distribution of ZRP Guruve Police Station...... 24

Table 4.1 Questionnaires response rate...... ………………………….31

Table 4.2 Interview response rate...... 32

Table 4.3 Distribution of police and respondents by age...... 33

Table 4.4 Distribution of respondents by period of stay...... 35

Table 4.5 People associated with suicide...... 39

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

Figure 4.1 Distribution of respondents by sex...... 34

Figure 4.2 Causes of suicide...... 36

Figure 4.3 Impact of suicide...... 41

Figure 4.4 Ways of managing suicide...... 43

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page

Appendix A: ...... 54

Appendix B: ...... 55

Appendix C: ...... ……………………………..60

Appendix D: ...... ……………………………………………..61

Appendix E: ...... 65

Appendix F: ......

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

The study sought to investigate the causes of increasing suicide cases in Guruve, Mashonaland Central Province, for the period from January 2012 to December 2014. This chapter focused on the background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study. Additionally, the chapter also discussed the scope of the study, the delimitations and limitations. Definition of key terms and abbreviations commonly used in the study were elaborated. A summary was given at the end.

1.1 Background to the Study

Suicide has emerged a global problem that is affecting many nations both developed and developing despite their advanced technology and interventions. (Gunnel, 1995). Suicide has been a phenomenon after colonization and industrialization in many countries and has been studied in various dimensions. It is a particular category of illegal activity which accounts for some of the greatest catastrophes worldwide (Sutherland, 1949). According to the World Health Organisation’s first ever comprehensive report on the issue of suicides, one person in the world dies by suicide every 40 seconds.

Suicide rates vary enormously from one country to another around the world influenced by the cultural, social, religious and economic environments in which people live and sometimes want to stop living. Some of the worst affected countries have more than 40 times more suicides than the least affected areas. But the pressures that cause extreme emotional distress is similar everywhere and there are measures all governments can take to reduce suicide cases. The World Health Organisation estimated that there are at least 800,000 suicide cases every year in which people are dying, but many countries do not collect data. (www.who.co.org) Criminalising suicide does not prevent it for example in India, where suicide is illegal. However, according to Radhakrishnan and Chittaranjan (2012), India is one of the countries with higher suicide rates in the world estimated at 21 deaths per 100,000 people occur against a global average of 11 deaths.

Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds globally in 2012. Suicide is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world; in fact, 75% of global suicide occurred in low- and middle-income countries in which resources and services, if

15 they do exist, are often scarce and limited for early identification, treatment and support of people in need. (http//www.who.int/mentalhealth/suicideprevention/en/). These striking facts and the lack of implemented timely interventions make suicide a global public health problem that needs to be tackled imperatively.

In the United States, suicide is an important public health issue involving psychological, biological and societal factors. Suicide cases have been on the increase among adolescents and young adults from 1994 to 2014 and the suicide rate in 2014 was 13.0 per 100 000 population. It was 24 percent higher than the rate in 1999 which was 10.5. This was also confirmed in the Zimbabwean Herald of 25 April 2016 in which there was a report which stated that in the United States, the suicide rate has soared by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014 for all age groups between 10 and 74. According to the report by the National Centre for Health Statistics, 13 Americans out of every 100 000 took their own lives in 2014 compared with 10, 5 per 100 000 in 1999. According to this report, the average annual percent increase in suicide rate was about one percent per year from 1999 through 2006 but rose to two percent per year from 2006 to 2014.

In Canada, suicide is a major cause of premature and preventable death. It is estimated that in 2009 alone there were about 100 000 years of potential life lost to Canadians under the age of 75 as a result of suicides. According to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, in 2009 there were approximately 238 000 deaths in Canada of which 3 890 were attributed to suicides. This results in suicide rate of 11, 5 deaths per 100 000 people. During that year a total of 2 989 males committed suicide compared to 901 females.

Zimbabwe as a nation has not been spared from this trend of increases in suicide cases. In 2015, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency recorded a worrisome trend in the increase of suicide cases across the country. A research which was carried out by Varume Svinurai/ Vukani Madoda a non-governmental organization revealed that suicide cases are on the increase in Zimbabwe. According to the Zimbabwean Herald of 09 May 2016: page R4, the Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson also confirmed an increase in the number of people committing suicide and stated that, “there has been an increase in the number of people committing suicide. Suicide is not criminal, so some of the incidents are going unreported, but we are in the process of collecting the figures”.

Suicide was observed to be on the increase in Zimbabwe as evidenced by cases which are repeatedly coming out now and then in the newspapers, radio and television, for example

o The Herald report of 17 May 2016 in which a Shurugwi woman forced her 3 children to drink poison before she also drank the poison. o The Herald report of 16 May 2016 whereby, the CMED boss was reported to have killed himself by shooting for unknown reasons. o The Herald report of 19 May 2016 in which a ZIMRA OFFICIAL drank poison while seated in his car in Mbare, Harare. o The Herald report of 15 July 2015 in which a Shurugwi mine security guard brutally murdered his 3 children, dumped their bodies in a disused mineshaft and he committed suicide. o In the same report another man was also found dead in his bedroom in Shurugwi after drinking cyanide for unknown reasons.

Police do not have an accurate figure on people committing suicide, since suicide is not criminal. According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated one million people worldwide take their lives every year. Guruve district in Zimbabwe has not been spared from this phenomenon. Guruve district is located in Mashonaland Central Province situated in the northern part of Zimbabwe. It boarders with Mvurwi district, Mhangura district and Mushumbi. It is comprised of resettled farmers and they are of different tribes and most of them are of the Kore-kore tribe. These newly settled farmers are mainly into cash crop farming that is tobacco, cotton and a few are into maize farming. Besides farming, some community members earn their living through stone sculpturing which is as well dominant in Guruve District.

Suicide cases have been noticed to be on the increase in this district though most of the cases are going unreported. The situation has become a cause for concern because of its devastating effects to the young generation. As a result, most children are now orphans and school drop outs due to the fact that some parents are choosing to take their own lives for unknown reasons. Manpower is also being lost unnecessarily through suicide which in turn is causing a burden to the community and the government at large due to the increase of child headed families. Thus the research sought to investigate why suicide cases are continuing increasing at an alarming rate from January 2012 to December 2014 and also to try and find out the age groups or the gender of those who are mainly

17 committing suicide so as to come up with measures which can be put in place so as to minimize cases of suicide.

1.2 Statement of the Problem.

The problem is, despite the existence of support programs, suicide cases have been on the increase. Some programs have been put in place in newspapers, magazines, television programs, groups formed for example Varume Svinurai, Padare, Today’s Women in trying to educate the nation about self-support and managing stress and also how to solve problems encountered whether at home or at work. Nearly one million people take their lives every year worldwide (WHO, 2009). The research sought to investigate why suicide cases are continuing to increase as from January 2012 to December 2014.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The study was guided by the following objectives:

o To establish the main causes of suicide in Guruve District. o To describe the groups of people mostly associated with suicide in Guruve District. o To determine the impact of suicide cases. o To establish ways of managing or reducing suicide cases in Guruve District.

1.4 Research Questions

Based on the background of the study, statement of the problem and purpose of the study as outlined above, the following questions were developed so as to direct the research study:

o What are the main causes of suicide in Guruve district? o Who are the people mostly associated with suicide in Guruve District? o What is the impact of suicide in Guruve? o How can suicide be managed or reduced in Guruve District?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is going to be of paramount importance to the Zimbabwe Republic Police as an organization since it is going to be alerted and also enables the organization to come up with some measures on how to prevent suicide cases. Secondly, the research is also going to benefit members of the public by giving knowledge and skills to reduce chances of endangering their lives. Some mechanisms will be developed which will help reduce and manage exposure to stress. Furthermore, social support groups will also benefit as they are also going to contribute to the reduction of suicide cases and the researcher will also benefit by widening her knowledge. More so, the findings of the project will be of importance to the government for policy formulation as well as increasing the base of research material for the University in the study area.

1.6 Assumptions

In coming up with this study, the researcher assumed that positive responses and support would be obtained from the participants, who could be encouraged by their participation so that long lasting solutions would be found to end the phenomenon. The researcher also saw that secondary data obtained from official sources would be correct and reliable. In addition, the researcher anticipated that the findings of the research would be widely spread to the whole aspect of community policing and crime management at national level.

1.7 Delimitations of the Study.

1.7.1 Scope Delimitation

The research’s main thrust was to find out causes of suicide cases to continue increasing and how the responsible authorities have managed suicide cases. Since suicide is not a crime in Zimbabwe, most of the data was obtained from primary sources through questionnaires and interview guide.

1.7.2 Spatial Delimitations

The study was limited to the area of Guruve District which is demarcated into six areas consisting of Chief Chipato, Chief Bepura, Chief Chipuriro, Chief Chisunga, Chief Chitsungo and Chief Matsiwo. It is going to involve members of ZRP Guruve district and community members of

Guruve. Furthermore, the research focused on a period of three years that is from January 2012 to December 2014. A sample population was drawn from an estimate of 124 041 residents of Guruve basing on the 2012 population census.

1.7.3 Temporal Delimitations

The research covered a period of three years that is from the 1st of January 2012 to the 31st of December 2014. The research period stretched from November 2016 to the end of March 2017.

1.8 Study Limitations

A major limitation of the research was the ‘taboo tag’ which is the song of the Guruve residents. If someone has committed suicide, they would not want to talk of it for the fear of the unknown. On the onset of the study, the respondents especially the members of the public were not willing to talk about suicide due to the fact that they believe its taboo. This presented an impediment to the researcher in soliciting responses from the participants who were a bit unconvinced about the researcher’s intentions. More so, suicide statistics were not being recorded in the past since it is not a crime in Zimbabwe, hence statistical data peculiar to the phenomenon was not readily available. To overcome the doubtfulness of the respondents, the researcher with the help of home officers from Guruve police station built confidence and established very good relations through persuading the respondents and explaining that the intention of the research is to benefit mainly the Guruve Residents.

1.9 Definition of key terms The researcher will define the following terms as they are going to be used in the study.

Bereaved: someone who is suffering the death of a loved one. (www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary). Suicide: It is the act or an instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally especially by a person of sound mind. According to Ratterstol (1993), suicide is an act with a fatal outcome that is deliberately initiated and performed by the deceased him- or herself, in the knowledge or

20 expectation of its fatal outcome, the outcome being considered by the actor as instrumental in bringing about desired changes in consciousness and/or social conditions.

1.10 Organization of the Study.

The study is going to be divided into 5 chapters that are designed to outline the research in the following manner:

o Chapter one focused on the background of the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, assumptions, limitations and delimitations. o Chapter two focused on related literature as well as suicide cases from different countries including Zimbabwe where Guruve is situated. o Chapter three focused at the research methodology which will be used in critically analyzing the causes of suicide in the area under study. Justification will also be made for the selected methods for gathering data. o Chapter four articulated the presentation, analysis and interpretation of data. o Chapter five covered the summary of the research outlining the findings and recommendations of the study.

1.11 Summary

This chapter introduced the study and outlined background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study. The chapter also discussed the scope of the study, the delimitations and limitations. Definitions of key terms used in the study were also elaborated. Chapter two focuses on the literature review related to the study.

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

The previous study introduced the study. This chapter reviews relevant literature from various writers whose work linked to the topic under study. This would be guided by the set objectives to critically review the related literature and empirical studies of other experts and authorities so as to get direction as well as identifying the knowledge gap.

2.1 What Is Literature Review

According to Leedy (2010), literature review is a summary of what has already been written about the topic. It gives direction and helps to broaden the researcher’s knowledge particularly in construction of appropriate research instruments, collection of data and data analysis. Leedy (2001) says that when one knows what others have done, one can be prepared better to attack with deeper insight and more complete knowledge of the problem at hand. Merriam and Simpson (1995) defined literature review as a narrative essay that integrates, synthesizes and criticizes the important thinking and research on a particular topic

2.2 Purpose of Literature Review

Literature review helps to identify and understand researches which have already been done by other researchers before. Literature review also provides a foundation for building knowledge in such a way that if you know what others have done, the researcher would be better prepared to attack the problem chosen and manage his or her own research because the more one is familiar with how others have tackled a similar or related research, the better prepared one will be able to manage his/her own research. Literature review also provides clues to methodology and instrumentation, approaches used before. The successes or failures identified could help save time and avoidance of duplication. The researcher was in a position to evaluate her own efforts by comparing with similar efforts of others. Literature review helps to identify and fill the gap, familiarizes the researcher with different authors and methods used and sensitizes the researcher’s brain about the research. Leedy (1980) supported this by saying when you know what others have done, you are prepared to attack with deeper insight and more complete knowledge of the problem you have chosen to investigate, therefore, in this research, literature review is going to help the researcher to broaden her knowledge and identify the nature of the problem with a view to attack it with deeper insight.

2.3 An Overview of Suicide Cases

Retterstol (1993) defined suicide as an act with a fatal outcome that is deliberately initiated and performed by the deceased person him or herself, in the knowledge or expectation of its fatal outcome, the outcome being considered by the actor as instrumental in bringing about desired changes in consciousness or social conditions. To further explain this, a number of psychological theorists (Shneidman and Farberow 1960; Menninger 1938; both cited by Fusé 1997) have suggested that people who engage in suicidal behavior often want to live and die at the same time. Other interpretations are that such people gamble and leave it up to others to decide the outcome, they are not aware that they have such a suicidal intent, or they are acting passively.

In 1783, Charles Mercier cited by Giddens (1971), first identified statistical evidence showing the steady growth of suicide in the modernising countries of Europe. Also Jean Pierre Falret cited by Giddens (1971), subsequently observed that suicide rates tend to rise during periods of rapid social change and in periods of economic depression. In 1881 Thomas Masaryk, predicting Durkheim, argued that the rising suicide rates apparent in various European countries were the result of modernisation and the dissolution of traditional institutions and moral controls, especially those connected with religion. He contended that religions that had strict rules and firm beliefs were better at reducing suicidal tendencies than religions that encouraged questioning and protest (Giddens, 1971).

2.4 Theoretical literature Review

2.4.1 What are The Main Causes of Suicide?

2.4.1.1 Interpersonal Suicide Theory

The theory was developed by Thomas Joiner in 2005. It attempts to explain why individuals engage in suicidal behavior and also to identify who are at risk of committing suicide. The theory proposes that an individual will not die by suicide unless he or she has both the desire to die by suicide and the ability to do so. According to this theory there are three main factors which can cause someone to commit suicide which are:

o A perception (usually mistaken) that someone is alone in the world and no-one really cares about him or her. o A feeling (again usually mistaken) that someone is a burden on others and people would be better off if he or she is dead. o Fearless towards pain and death.

According to Maris, Berman and Silverman (2000), suicide can also be caused by depression both unipolar and bipolar. Some scholars have come up with the causes of suicide being psychiatric disturbance as the strongest predictor of suicide tendencies. Some experts suggest that some suicides are committed due to complex socio-cultural factors and are likely to increase during periods of socio-economic, family and individual crisis situations for example diagnosis of a serious illness or retrenchment from employment can also contribute to suicidal tendencies. (Jonas, 1992).

According to Baechler (1985), some people commit suicide as a means of flight from an intolerable situation while for others suicide is a response to grief about loss of something or can be as a means of self-punishment when one feels that he or she has done something wrong.

David Phillips (1997) reported that, suicide cases increases after well publicized suicides. For example the August 6 1962 in which Marilyn Monroe committed suicide, there were more 200 August suicides in the USA. These increases happen only in areas where the suicide story was published. According to Jonas (1992), in German and USA suicide rates rise slightly following fictional suicides on soap operas and movies. Even after serious dramas that focus on the suicide problem and teenagers are at risk. Brockington (2001) reports causes of suicide to include sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence and these are societal ills that lead victims to think of terminating their lives if not assisted to properly handle such situations.

The Interpersonal theory seeks to explain that a person cannot just commit suicide but there are some factors which forces the victim to commit suicide. Therefore in investigating what is causing suicide cases to continue increasing, this study sought to find out whether the hypothesis of interpersonal theory has got any relevance to the Zimbabwean context especially in Guruve District.

2.4.1.2 Contagion Theory [E. Durkheim’s Theory of Suicide.]

According to Emily Durkheim (1897), suicide is a symptom of an underlying inadequacy or excess of social integration and social regulation. This analysis paved the way for the development of further suicide theories using the traditional or structure functionalist Sociological approach. Other theorists modified or elaborated on Durkheim’s concepts and suggested that disruptions to social status, social networks, social relationships or the economy could increase suicide levels.

Durkheim (1897) argued that suicides are imitative. He gives the example of 15 prisoners who hung themselves from exactly the same hook in a Parisian prison, he argues that this shows the power of social imitation. Gould et al (1994) suggests that social contagion is a stronger factor in teen suicides. He went on to say that adolescents seem to be particularly influenced by their peer group in the form of high risk behavior. Contagion may operate in several ways. Durkheim’s theory can be regarded as a unifying theory in that it attempts to explain the observed relationships between suicide rates and a large number of different indicators (such as divorce rates, rapid social change, wars, etc.) using two key theoretical constructs social integration and social regulation. A large amount of empirical research has found, as Durkheim predicted, that indicators of social integration and regulation are correlated with low or high suicide rates. Durkheim therefore concluded that the causes of suicide are the negation of what he termed “extra-social factors”, Psychopath, the characteristics of race and heredity cosmic factors such as climate and seasonal temperature and the psychological mechanism of imitation as possible causes of suicide. Henceforth, this study endeavor to find out if there is any nexus between the contagion theory suppositions and the escalating suicide cases in Guruve.

2.4.2 Who is mostly associated with Suicide?

2.4.2.1 Labelling theory

Labeling theory has been applied to many types of so-called socially deviant behavior, of which suicide can be considered an example of deviant behavior. In real meaning, this theory suggests that the reactions of other people and the wider society to initial deviant behavior by an individual can influence the future behavior of that individual. Once a person has been labeled as deviant, he or she will be unwittingly pressured to continue acting in the same deviant role. In some parts of Zimbabwe, suicide is believed to be heredital meaning to say that if one commits suicide, more and more people will be expected to also commit suicide because they say once a family member

26 kills herself, more members of the family will also follow suit. According to Clinard and Meier (1975), the process of labeling is a social one because it emphasises the importance of ways in which institutionalised processes of social control and social definitions define what and who is deviant. For example, labeling theories suggest that if people are labeled by others as having alcohol or drug abuse problems, or as economic failures, they are more likely to commit suicide. Likewise, if they are labeled as being at high risk of suicide, their risk of suicide increases (Taylor, 1988). Hence labeling can also be a factor contributing to increasing suicide cases. The labeling theory explains that, what a person is normally labeled turns out to be what is likely to take place in that person’s future life. Therefore, this study seeks to find out if it is true that labeling a person as deviant can lead that person to committing suicide and also to put to test the fact that suicide is heredital therefore knowing who are mostly associated with suicide.

2.4.2.2 Rational Suicide Theory

This theory was developed by Hamermesh and Soss (1974) as a way of explaining why suicide seemed to increase monotonically with age. They also propounded that suicide and income are correlated at the occupation level but it is not that strong. According to this theory, suicide is a means of “rationally” ending one’s life when the expected value of the future utility of being alive is below the value of death. According to the rational suicide theory, suicide and depression are core related for youths being caused by the rising of discount rates overtime, changes enduring individual characteristic. This will lead to changes in family structure or social environment that determine the individual’s development of the capacity to regulate impulse. Declining of utility levels can also drive especially youths to commit suicide. Increase in single parent families are also a factor contributing to the rise in teenage suicides.

Divorce, partial absence of a known father and also remarriage is also a factor contributing to teenage unhappiness. Declining traditional family type may also lead to increased suicide through the resulting influence on impulsive long term detrimental behavior in youths.

The rationale suicide theory will be unearthed during identification of groups of people associated with suicide so as to find out if the theory can be associated with the study.

2.4.3 Impact of Suicide

According to Hunter et al (2001), suicide deaths often spark clusters of suicide especially by hanging if the suicide case is witnessed by many members of a community, this will lead to desensitization among members where suicide will end up being seen as something that is normal to the extent of being expected though by no means it is not acceptable. Such situations can often lead to the mounting problem of integrational transmissions of trauma and grief and may result in misuse or overdose of drugs and alcohol. According to Mishra (2007), in India if a farmer commits suicide, the family left behind will end up losing the farm after it would have been confiscated due to in ability to pay back high interest loans. The family will also have high chances of being harassed by corrupt money lenders. After the death of the farmer by suicide, the widows will be burdened with the new responsibility as the sole breadwinner therefore ending up committing suicide just like the husband. As an end result, children will lose both parents forcing their education to come to an end especially if they have to work in order to provide for their needs. Suicide cases can also lead to a more risk to the individuals who would have lost a loved one to suicide. They will be pre occupied with the reason why the suicide was committed and at the same time trying to hide or deny the cause of the death. Mostly they will be wondering if they could have prevented it, feeling blamed for the problems that preceded the suicide the study by Mishra (2007), is going to be compared with the findings in the current study to see if the impact of suicide is the same in Zimbabwe particularly in Guruve District.

2.4.4 How to Manage Suicide

2.4.4.1 Management of Suicide by the World Health Organisation

The World Health Organisation revealed that suicide can be possibly reduced through brief, low cost intervention in developing countries. The 10th of September is the world suicide prevention day and was formally announced in 2003. Each year the World Health Organisation in conjunction with the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) uses this day to call attention to suicide as a leading cause of premature and preventable death. Each year they come up with a different theme in trying to make people understand and desist from suicidal behavior. For example in 2007, the theme was “Suicide Prevention-Across the Life Span”. This theme calls attention to

28 the fact that suicide occurs at all ages and that suicide prevention and intervention strategies maybe adapted to meet the needs of different age groups.

In Kenya, attempted suicide has been criminalised and one could face a jail term if convicted. In Kenya they also commemorate the prevention day, 10 September every year being an effort to prevent the prevalence of suicide occurrence in the country. The researcher is going to evaluate the current situation in Guruve pertaining to suicide cases so as to find out what the Government has put in place so as to manage or outclass the increasing suicide cases. The current study will help to compare with what other countries are doing in order to manage suicide as well as to see if what is being done is in line with the current study.

2.5 Empirical Literature review.

2.5.1 Suicide cases in India The study was carried out by Modi and Singh (2012). The study was carried out after the number of suicide cases was continuously rising. The study seeks to discuss the causes of suicide and the cure for it. It is estimated that more than a quarter of a million Indian farmers have committed suicide in the past years the largest wave of recorded suicides in human history. A great number of those affected are cash crop farmers and cotton farmers in particular. In 2009 alone, the most recent year for which official figures are available, 17,638 farmers committed suicide that’s one farmer every 30 minutes. While striking on their own, these figures considerably underestimate

29 the actual number of farmer suicides taking place. Most of them will be men because women are often excluded from farmer suicide statistics because most women do not own land. According to the India National Crime Record Bureau (2005), 15 suicides are committed every hour and 70% of suicide victims in India are married people. This is in line with what was said by Lester (2000) who propounded that, people who commit suicide are found to have been through a high level of stress for a long period of time and often have an increasing level in the time leading up to their suicidal action. To add on that, people who commit suicide are also found to have few resources and the resources that they have are often unavailable which will finally cause them to commit suicide.

According to Sharma et al (1992), suicide patterns and rates in Northen India differ in various populations and cultures. It has been reported that developing countries have lower suicide rates, possibly because of a lower level of environmental stress but the Indians have a very high suicide rate. According to Sharma ibid, the choice of method used to commit suicide depends on the availability of means, knowledge about lethal effectiveness and the victim’s motivation and intention. The current study is in line with the previous study. The main objective of the previous study was to find out the causes of suicide and the cure for it. The study was carried out in India which is a developed country therefore there is also a need to carry out such a study in developing countries like Zimbabwe so as to find out whether economic hardships or conditions can lead people to commit suicide.

2.5.2 Suicide cases in Canada The research was carried out by Tanya Navaneelan of the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database and it was carried out in 2009. She states that Suicide is a major cause of premature and preventable death. It is estimated that, in 2009 alone, there were about 100,000 years of potential life lost to Canadians under the age of 75 as a result of suicides. In 2009 there were approximately 238 000 deaths in Canada of which 3 890 were attributed to suicides. This results in suicide rate of 11, 5 deaths per 100 000 people. During that year a total of 2 989 males committed suicide compared to 901 females. The study by Tanya was carried out in order to find out the rate at which people were committing suicide in Canada hence there is need to carry out such a study since the objectives of

30 both the studies are quite different thus current study seeks to find out the main causes of suicide, the impact of suicide and to find out ways of managing suicide.

2.5.3 Suicide cases in Australia.

The report was done by Professor Patrick Mcgorry of the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2010. The report was done so as to highlight the state of suicide and suicide prevention in Australia with a view to develop a more effective national response as well as drawing together the existing knowledge on suicide and suicide prevention. It was revealed in this report that Suicide is a leading cause of death globally and in Australia. Official Australian statistics record approximately 2 200 suicide deaths per annum of which 80 percent are male. In 2008, one in every four deaths in men aged 15-24 were due to suicide. For men aged 40-44, nearly one in every six deaths was due to suicide. It was noted that suicide is the leading cause of death for men who are 15-44 years old and women 15-34 years old.

Another study was carried out by Allison et al (1995) to find out if there was a connection between suicidal tendencies and the quality of parenting among Australian families and it was carried out among Australian high school students. A sample consisting of 156 males and 151 females between the ages of 13 to 17 were randomly selected from state high schools and questioners were used to carry out the survey. The objective of the study was to find out whether quality of parenting has got a contribution to the suicidal behavior found among the teenagers. The results of the study proved that children from single parent headed families were more prone to suicide and also children from the families were conflict between the parents was the order of the day were also likely to commit suicide than those from peaceful families. Children from families were parents were harsh, abusive and always punishing the kids, those kids were also found to be highly suicidal. The study was carried out in order to find out if there is a connection between suicidal tendencies and the type of parenting, hence there is need to carry out a study which covers both men and women as well as finding out what the causes of suicide is and its impact.

2.5.4 Suicide cases in Kenya

The study was carried out by Dr Becky Mars of the University of Bristol. The study revealed that Kenya has been ranked among countries in Africa where suicides are on the increase and slightly higher than the continental average. According to the Nairobi based Centre for the study of

31 adolescents (CSA) the level of suicides especially among the youth in Kenya are approaching alarming levels. Some of the common worries in a CSA survey were contracting AIDS, getting unplanned pregnancy, and being unable to feed themselves. In her work on the trends of suicide in Nairobi, Dr Philista Onyango of Nairobi University had indicated that suicide is on the rise and has nothing to do with increased population. A report by Dr Becky Mars of the University of Bristol, UK shows that more men than women successfully commit suicide in Africa. However more women than men in Kenya were found to be attempting to take their lives but many do not succeed. He said more than 70 percent were aged 21-30. The study carried out in Kenya is not in line with the current study since it seeks to find out the trend of suicide especially the youth. The current study’s main objective is to find out the causes of suicide. Therefore there is need to carry out such a research so that the causes of suicide will be known in order to plan effectively how to manage increasing suicide cases.

2.5.5 Suicide cases in Uganda.

The study was carried out by Hjelmeland et al (2008), the aim of the study was to examine Ugandan men’s perceptions of what causes and what prevents suicide as well as their attitudes towards suicide and suicide prevention. They decided to study men only in order to focus on the inherent logic in men’s beliefs rather than to compare them with women. According to Hjelmeland et al supra, suicidal behavior is illegal in Uganda and it is considered a bad omen for the clan and necessitates cleansing rituals because Uganda is considered to be a very religious country. In this study, two open ended questions, “what is the important cause of suicide and what you think can be done to prevent suicide” were analysed quantitatively. The result of the study was found out that the rates of suicide are higher for men than for women. The study was carried out to look into Ugandan men’ perception towards suicide, therefore the perceptions of Ugandan men are going to be scrutinised and tested with this study to find whether the findings will be the same as the perceptions.

Another study was carried out by Munikwa et al (1999), the purpose of the study was to ascertain the nature of para-suicide cases handled by traditional leaders in Hurungwe district in Zimbabwe. A qualitative survey design was utilized in the study and phenomenological interviewing was used to collect the data on a purposefully selected sample of two chiefs and ten headmen and eleven family elders. The sample consisted of twenty one male and two female traditional leaders. The

32 study revealed that suicide was being caused by avenging spirits, marital problems, family and love disputes, financial problems and terminal illnesses. According to this study, statistics showed that there is a rapid growth in the cases of suicide the world over. According to Newman (2004), in South Africa, suicide is committed every hour which shows the magnitude of suicide in the sub Saharan Africa. The study concludes that traditional leaders in Hurungwe handled para-suicide cases of different types and different causes and it was recommended that assistance be offered to traditional leaders to be better prepared to deal with the magnitude and complexity of para-suicide cases. The study carried out by Munikwa was only focused on the traditional leaders in Hurungwe as their sample. The current study will derive its sample from members of the police and all other residents including traditional leaders.

2.6 Justification of the study

This research sought to identify and fill the gap left by previous researchers, writers and theorists who dealt much on issues to do with suicide. Although these researchers, writers and theorists did much on the aspect of suicide emphasizing on definitional issues, motivational issues, classes of persons who commit suicide, causes and the impacts; little has been done on the causes and preventive aspects of suicide hence this research. Suicide cases are continuing to be on the increase this means that the reasons why people are committing suicide and the measures already on the ground for the prevention of suicide needs to be revised in order to meet the contemporary standards of living.

All the previous studies were conducted outside Zimbabwe where there is a variance in economic conditions, culture and political situation. The research which was carried out in Zimbabwe was carried out long years ago in Hurungwe and it seeks to ascertain the nature and causes of para- suicide cases handled by traditional leaders in Hurungwe district only. It was the only research found by the researcher which was carried out in Zimbabwe from the literature obtained. The timeframe with which the researches were carried calls for new researches to be carried out since the world is not static but it evolves. This supports the need for the research to be carried out so as to find out what exactly is causing suicide cases to increase.

2.7 Summary

This chapter dealt with both the theoretical and empirical literature review. It also looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the reviewed literature and justification of this research. Generally it can be agreed that, from the literature reviewed on suicide cases, the challenges faced by members of the community and the law enforcement officials especially in Zimbabwe is under researched. Chapter three looks at the research methodology of the study.

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction The previous study reviewed literature both theoretically and empirically as well as identifying the knowledge gap. This chapter focuses on the methods in which the researcher used to collect data in the research. It includes the research design which was used and the justification for the choice for such a design. It also covered population size, sample size, sampling method and the data collecting instruments that were used. The reliability and validity of the data collecting instruments, how data should be presented, analysed and interpreted was also discussed.

3.1 Research Design A research design can be described as a complete strategy of the central research problem (Leedy 2001). It is a plan that guides the researcher in the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting the research data. Research design helps to identify the research problem clearly and justify its selection, particularly in relation to any valid alternative designs that could have been used. Research design will also be useful in reviewing and synthesizing previously published literature associated with the research problem, clearly and explicitly specifying research questions central to the problem (De Vaus, 2001). In this research, the researcher used the descriptive research design.

3.1.1 Descriptive Case Study According to Krathwohl (1998), a descriptive research design is a useful tool for describing data and accumulating extensive evidence to answer the research questions. This means that the descriptive research design looks with intense accuracy, at the phenomenon and then describes specifically what the researcher sees. The purpose of a descriptive design is to provide the perceptions and views of the respondents about the phenomenon studied. Descriptive research is often used as a pre-cursor to move quantitatively research designs, the general overview giving some valuable pointers as to what variables are worth testing quantitatively (Zikmund, 2010). In this study, opinion and analysis was drawn from respondents at ZRP Guruve. This study contains both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative approach deals with the numerical aspect of data collected meaning the number of times an aspect repeated itself when counted in the data collected. The qualitative approach assists the researcher to understand and describe from a human experience the challenges being faced by members of the public in Guruve which makes them end up committing suicide.

3.1.2 Justification for Choosing the Case Study According to Koul (2000) descriptive research design has the ability to collect information of what exists, what people want and how to get there. The descriptive research design as a social science research method is going to be adopted in this research as it affords the researcher to describe the characteristics of a large Guruve population and it also enabled the collection of data from many

35 respondents in a short space of time, with limited resources. Leedy (2001) propounds that Descriptive Research Design makes possible efficient collection of data on a large number of individuals and allows precise comparisons to be made between the answers of the respondents. To add on that, the Descriptive Research Design enabled the researcher to have more control over the research process, at the same time being representative and cost effective. Descriptive Research Design is going to be the most suitable for this study since the study sought to get opinions and attitudes of the respondents on what is causing suicide cases to continue increasing in Guruve. Apart from that, it enables the researcher to use both qualitative and quantitative methods in analyzing data. It is also effective in measuring opinions and attitudes.

3.2 Target Population According to Merriam and Simpson (1995), population is the entire group from which some specific information is required or recorded. Zikmund (2010) describes population as all the elements that meet the criteria for inclusion in a study. In this study, the population is comprised of members of Guruve community and ZRP members stationed at Guruve Police Station, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, 2012 census, Guruve has got a population of 124 041 under 6 chiefs. Thus, the study population comprised of 105 members stationed at ZRP Guruve Police Station and 124 041 residents of Guruve. 3.3 Sample of the study Sampling is a process of selecting a portion of the population to represent the entire population and it should have the characteristics that make it a representative of the whole population (Bless, 1985). Leedy (2000) defines a sample as “a proportion of a population”. It is the elected elements chosen for participation in a study. A carefully selected sample can provide data representative of the population from which it is drawn. The sample for the study was comprised of 20 police officers and 246 residents of Guruve (6 chiefs and 40 residents per chief’s area) totaling to 266 respondents.

3.3.1 Sampling Technique Sampling is the process of selecting a group of people, events, behaviors or other elements with which to conduct a study Leedy (2010). According to Koul (2000), sampling is an exercise where one picks some elements from a population using an appropriate method such that the sample

36 elements are representative of the population characteristics. The researcher used simple random sampling in selecting residents to participate in this study, but as for the police officers, the researcher used stratified sampling method to select participants. In this method, the population was stratified into a number of strata that is according to rank and then sample members selected from each stratum. The members selected were chosen using simple random sampling.

Guruve Police Station has got 105 police officers. The population was sampled as shown in the table below.

Table 3.1 Sample distribution of ZRP Guruve Police Station (N=105)

RANK STRENGTH No of Respondents Percentage

Chief Inspector 1 1 100%

Inspector 2 1 50%

Assistant Inspector 6 3 50%

Sergeants 15 5 33%

Constables 81 10 12%

Total 105 20 20%

Source: Primary Data

3.3.2 Justification for use of simple Random Sampling and Stratified Sampling Simple random sampling and Stratified Random Sampling were used on residents and police officers respectively because they afford members of the target population an equal chance of being selected. Stratified random sampling was used on police respondents because the researcher had access to accurate and easily reachable sampling frame that lists the entire population. The sample selected represents the whole population. Both techniques reduce room for bias as the respondents had an equal opportunity of being selected to participate in the study. They also enhance the generalization of the study findings to a wider population area

3.4 Data Collection Instruments Research instruments are the fact finding strategies used for data collection. They include questionnaires, interviews and observations. Borg and Gall (2011), asserts that research instruments are techniques used to extract information from respondents. The researcher used interviews and questionnaires as data collection instruments.

3.4.1 Questionnaires According to Leedy (1980), a questionnaire is a document that contains questions that seek responses from respondents. Wegner (2006) defined it as a systematically prepared form or document with a set of questions deliberately designed to get information from the respondents or research informants for the purpose of collecting data or information. Leedy (2001) defines a questionnaire as a way of getting data about people by asking questions rather than observing and sampling their behavior. Questionnaires can be in the form of closed or open ended questions, an in this case study, the researcher used both open ended and closed ended questionnaires.

3.4.2 Advantages of questionnaires The researcher used the questionnaires because of the following advantages as propounded by Leedy (2001): firstly, respondents answered the questions freely hence they were confident.

Secondly, questionnaires are economical in terms of time and money as it is possible to send out a number of questionnaires at the same time and they do not require trained personnel to administer them hence they are cheap. Furthermore, a questionnaire provides for standardized questions which make it easy to analyse the responses, they also reduce bias that might result from personal characteristics of interviews. Lastly questionnaires guarantee confidentiality since the names of the respondents were not written down on questionnaires, these also gave confidence to respondents to respond freely.

3.4.3 Disadvantage of questionnaires Zikmund (2010) put forward the following as the disadvantages of using questionnaires: there is no room for probing, the questionnaire does not give the researcher an opportunity to interact with the respondents and also to ask question where there is need for clarification and if the respondents do not understand some questions they will also not have the opportunity to ask for clarification from the researcher. Apart from that, the questionnaire cannot be completed by illiterate respondents. Those who could not read nor write were not in a position to use a questionnaire and this led to a sort of bias in the sense that if the questionnaires are used, they were distributed to only those who are literate which means that information was obtained from those who can read and write only. Therefore, to overcome this barrier, the researcher used interviews to those who could not read nor write, the interview comprised of straightforward questions in simple English. Furthermore, the respondents may take time to complete the questionnaires and some may not be returned since it takes some time to complete the questionnaire. Lastly, the researcher had no time to observe and interpret the respondent’s body language such as facial expressions therefore they did not provide clarity for ambiguities.

3.4.4 Justification for using the questionnaire According to Brown (2009), questionnaires help to ease social pressure on respondents by summarizing opinions. Questionnaires were used in this research because they allow varied degrees of opinions to be expressed, not simply a yes or no answer but they allow data to be expressed in mean and mode which then made it possible to graphically present and qualitatively analyse data. Additionally, open and closed ended questions provide a balanced response platform as the key respondents on track. The questionnaire also gave room for adequate respondent

39 expression. To add on that, Dooley (2000) asserts that the questionnaire helps the researcher to reach many respondents at least cost.

3.5 Interviews According to Borg and Gall (2011), an interview is an interaction in which oral questions are posed by the interviewer to elicit oral response from the interviewee. It is a process of directly interacting with a subject for the purpose of eliciting research data (Leedy, 2012). Apart from face-to-face interviews, they can also be conducted over the phone or the computer terminal via video conferencing technology. The researcher utilized the face to face interview.

3.5.1 Advantages of interviews Interviews are flexible and they allow appraisal of validity response due to the fact that they are conducted on a face to face basis hence it would be probable that responds be given by the intended persons. Apart from that, the researcher afforded a chance to probe further the responses given which were not clear as well as allowing the researcher to observe the interviewee’s body language and interpret it accordingly. Another advantage is that, those who could not read and write were accommodated and lastly, the researcher was able to clarify and get clarifications from the respondents thereby minimizing misunderstandings.

3.5.2 Disadvantages of interviews Interviews were time consuming in terms of data collection and data analysis. It was difficult to obtain reliable data on attitudes, opinions and values. Interviews are expensive to carry out when compared to other methods of data collection. A person’s reasoning ability can be adversely affected by factors such as fatigue, stress, illness and others.

3.5.3 How the researcher overcome the disadvantages. Disadvantages were overcome through explaining to respondents where they need clarification before answering questions. The researcher avoided giving guiding questions to respondents and will always be flexible to meet the respondent during convenient times.

3.5.4 Justification for using the personal interview

Interviews were used in this research because they allow the researcher to observe reactions of subjects, gestures and expressions which helped the subjects beyond recorded responses. The interviews also provided an opportunity to the researcher to probe further issues which might need clarity as well as enabling the researcher to obtain real time and first-hand information.

3.6 Data Collection procedures Data was collected through primary and secondary data methods which include interviews, questionnaires, journals and textbooks. The researcher administered questionnaires to the intended target that is police officers and members of the community who resides in Guruve district. Interviews were carried out with those who could not read and write. The aspect of confidentiality on the part of the respondents was emphasised in the questionnaires and emphasised that facts gathered was solely be for research purposes and nothing else. The researcher took advantage of the authority of the D.C.R.L.O to ensure that questionnaires were distributed and returned within the stipulated time. The anonymity of respondents, the origin and any other information that could expose identity of the respondent was maintained and nothing that discloses the identity of the respondent should be allowed to be marked on the questionnaire.

3.6.1 Primary Data Bryman and Bell (2003) define primary data as the original data which is free from any alteration by human beings and the data has not been published. The researcher drafted questionnaires and an interview guide in order to gather primary data. The researcher also prepared sufficient questionnaires and delivered and collected them personally to and from respondents with the help of home officers from ZRP Guruve Police Station. More so, researcher booked for appointments with research subjects through telephone. Recording of responses on interviews was done during the interviewing process. Anonymity and confidentiality was guaranteed to participants and both qualitative and quantitative data analysis was used to analyse data.

3.6.2 Secondary Data

According to Borg and Gall (2011), secondary data involves the gathering or use of existing data for purposes other than those for which they were originally collected. Similarly, secondary data refers to the information gathered by someone other than the researcher (Zikmund, 2010). The researcher utilised ZRP Guruve internal books and records such as the Report received Book and Occurrence book to analyse data and make conclusions. External sources were internet, online media tools such as newspapers, journals and textbooks related to suicides.

3.7 Validity and reliability of research instruments

3.7.1 Reliability MacMillan (1996) stated that reliability is all about whether repeated application of the same technique on the same objects would yield the same results. Reliability is mostly concerned about the consistence of data collection methods so as to avoid distortion of findings. Barbie (1983) defines reliability as a matter of whether a particular technique applied repeatedly to the same object would yield the same results each time. Reliability is then a measure of consistency with which an instrument measure. In this study the use of questionnaires helped to increase reliability. The questionnaire consisted of mostly open ended questions, which are simple to answer and unambiguous. The questions are of issues generally known to the public. In interviews, the use of a semi –structured interview schedule enhanced reliability .This ensures that the same questions are presented to respondents

3.7.2 Testing Validity and Reliability Pilot study is a small scale study to test a questionnaire or interview check-list so as to minimise the likelihood of respondents having difficulties in answering the questions and resulting in data recording problems. Cohen (2011) asserts that a pilot study further allows assessment of the questions’ validity and reliability of the data that was collected for the study. To test for reliability, a pilot study was carried out in Mvurwi also Located in Mashonaland central, using 30 respondents that comprise of 10 police officers and 20 residents. The researcher opted for Mvurwi because it is near Guruve as well as its proximity to where the researcher resides. Apart from that Mvurwi share the same characteristics with the area under study.

3.7.3 Validity Bell and York (1993) asserts that validity tells us whether an item measures or describes what it is supposed to measure or describe. According to Haralambos and Holborn (1990) data is valid if it provides a true picture of what is being studied. Two types of validity relevant in research are content and construct validity. Content validity refers to the adequacy with which the measuring instrument covers the content of interest. According to Churchill (1979), content validity focuses on the adequacy with which the domain or characteristics of items is captured by the measure for example an instrument to measure spelling ability in the English words. Construct validity can be established through plans and procedures used in constructing the research instruments (Zikmund, 2010).

3.8 Data Presentation and Analysis Qualitative data and quantitative data gathered were presented through use of tables, and graphs, in line with the aims of the objectives of the study. Data analysis in this study was aimed at addressing the objectives of the study either qualitatively or quantitatively. Zikmund (2010) recommends that where data is qualitative and revealing perceptions, feelings and emotions by respondents, generalisations are to be drawn. The aim of the data analysis is to present results that are accurate, well clarified and comprehensive hence the use of charts to present quantifiable data. Data was presented in tabular form and through graphs after which researcher gave a descriptive interpretation of the information presented relating to the research findings.

3.9 Ethical Considerations Creswell (2009) insists that researchers must decide whether the scientific and social benefit of carrying out a study outweighs the possible risks to the person who participate in the research process. Creswell (ibid) further suggests that researchers should try to avoid questions that transgress into the privacy of respondents. The researcher was guided by the above definition and ensured that all ethical issues surrounding the secrecy of respondents, confidentiality of organisational information, fairness and legitimacy of the whole research processes was well maintained. The study was designed in a way that eliminated physical harm, pain, discomfort, loss of dignity and infringement on privacy of respondents. In order to safeguard all these, the researcher explained fully the purpose of the study, its benefits and at the same time the

43 respondents’ rights in regards to the study. Therefore, the participants had protection from undue physical or psychological harm, informed consent to participate and the right to withdraw from the study at any time and the right to privacy.

3.10 Summary This chapter highlighted the methodology used to conduct this research. It dealt with the research design, population and sampling, research instruments, data collection, validity and reliability procedures as well as ethical considerations. The next chapter is going to deal with the actual presentation, analysis and interpretation of data.

CHAPTER IV

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND DISCUSSION

4.0 Introduction

The previous chapter focused on research methodology used in the study. This chapter focuses on the presentation, analysis, discussion and interpretation of data collected during the process of research methodology.

4.1 Response rate

4.1.1 Questionnaire analysis

The questionnaire and interview guide were the research instruments used for the purpose of collecting data. A sample of 20 police officers and 246 residents of Guruve participated in the study. Below is the table showing the response rate of the questionnaires.

Table 4.1: Questionnaire response rate (N=266)

Sent Received Shortfall % Response Rate Police Respondents 20 20 - 100

Guruve Residents 246 230 16 94

Total 266 250 17 97

Source: Primary Data

Of the 246 questionnaires that were distributed to the residents of Guruve, 230 were returned. This shows that 16 questionnaires were not returned to the researcher indicating a 94% response rate. Of the 20 Questionnaires distributed to the police officers, they were all returned to the researcher indicating a 100% response rate. When the researcher went to collect some of the completed questionnaires, she could not find some of the respondents at home. Some indicated that they were very busy in their lands since it was rain season so they could not find enough time to complete the questionnaires. 4 of those which were not returned, they specified that they had misplaced the questionnaires. All the questionnaires were returned from the police respondents hence a 100% response rate. The response rate was considered sufficient for the study to produce meaningful results.

4.1.2 Interview analysis

Table 4.2: Interview response rate

Respondents Sample size Number targeted Number conducted Response rate (%)

Police respondents 5 5 5 100

Guruve residents 7 7 7 100

Total 12 12 12 100

Source: Primary data

The results on Table 4.2 shows that all scheduled interviews were conducted as shown by 100% response rate. The response rate by both the Police respondents and Guruve residents is enough to represent the whole population in the area of study.

4.2 Demographic Data of the Respondents.

Demographic data sought to establish the personnel data of both police respondents and Guruve residents. The section asked questions pertaining to the respondents’ gender, age and duration of stay in Guruve. These attributes helped to understand the maturity, caliber and attitudes of the respondents towards the problem of suicide in Guruve.

4.2.1 Percentage response by Age

Table 4.3: Distribution of Police and Residents by age. (N=250)

Age Group No of Respondents Percentage 18-28 years 34 14% 29-39 years 63 24% 40-50 years 100 41% 51-60 37 15% 61+ 16 6% Total 250 100%

Source: Primary Data

Table 4.3 depicts that the age range 18-28 years constitutes 14%, 29-39 represents 24%, 40-50 constitutes 41%, 51-60 years represents 15% and 61 years and above represents 6%. The statistics shows that the middle aged people constituted the larger percentage whilst the elderly constituted the lowest followed by youths. This might be due to the fact that the majority of people found in Guruve are resettled small scale farmers who are into tobacco farming and some are sculptors. Only 14% are the youth due to the fact that the most are still students hence were not available.

4.2.2 Percentage response by gender

Number of respondents

45% 55% Male Female

Figure 4.1: Distribution of Respondents by Gender (N=250)

Source: Primary Data

Figure 4.1 shows the distribution of respondents by sex. The female respondents show higher frequency which is 55% while the remaining 45% shows male representation in the research study. Statistical data shows that more females participated in the research study than their male counterparts maybe it is due to the fact that women are always at home when compared to men.

Table 4.4: Distribution of Respondents by Period of Stay (N=250)

Period of Stay Frequency Percentage

Less than 4 years 34 14% 4-9 years 106 42% 10 years and above 110 44% Total 250 100%

Source: Primary Data

Table 4.4 shows that 14% represents those less than four years, 42% for those 4-9 years, and those 10 years and above represents 44%. Statistical data shows that most of the respondents have been in Guruve for more than 4 years, a duration which is quite adequate for one to be conversant with the goings on. This shows that most of the respondents had stayed in Guruve, hence they have knowledge of what usually takes place especially on the issue of suicide cases so they will have an idea of how frequent suicide is committed.

4.3 Causes of Suicide

The aim is to find out what is causing suicide cases to continue rising. The section asked questions pertain to whether the respondents know the reason why one could have committed suicide. These questions helped to understand or they put clear what causes the people of Guruve to continue committing suicide. The graph below shows what the main causes of suicide in Guruve District are.

4.3.1 Causes of suicidal cases

Suicidal causes 140 125 120

100

60 50 40 40 20 20 15 16% 20% 50% 6% 8% 0 HIV+ EH DP UP NR

Number of respondents Percentage

Figure 4.2: Causes of suicide cases (N=250) Source: Primary data

Key to Figure 4.2 HIV+- HIV Positive EH- Economic Hardships DP - Domestic Problems UP - Unwanted Pregnancy NR - No Reason

The results of Figure 4.2 indicate that causes of suicide are being HIV positive with 17%, 20% for economic hardships, 47% domestic problems, 6% unwanted pregnancies, and 10% had no reason for any possible cause of suicide. According to statistics from the Police, from January to December 2012, 20 people committed suicide, in January to December 2013, 18 people committed suicide. From January to December 2014, 24 people committed suicide. This was also in line with what was obtained from the questionnaires and the interviews, however, during the period under study there were 11 more suicide cases which were not reported to the police. This will bring the number of suicide cases to 53, which occurred during the period under review. Majority of interview respondents stated that females were found to be killing themselves more than males

50 especially when it comes to domestic problems. Maybe this is due to the fact that females especially in the rural areas, they depend on their husbands in everything they need. The problem will then arise when these men decide to leave the women. To add on that most suicide cases are being committed between the harvest time and the time when the produce are sold. The researcher sought to find out what is causing suicide cases to continue increasing. This has been revealed by the empirical literature review, as in the case of Indian Farmers. The following stood out as the most prevalent causes of suicide in Guruve. The results of the study are in line with a study conducted by Munikwa et al 1999 who emphasise that the causes of suicide cases include financial problems, love disputes, terminal illness and marital problem.

 Contracting HIV & AIDS and Unwanted Pregnancy ZRP Guruve Police Station together with its community struggles to control suicide cases though it is not a crime. At the time of carrying out this research, statistics showed that a total of 9 people committed suicide due to the fact that they had been previously diagnosed to be HIV positive. 3 were females whilst 6 were males. Failing to accept such health status will normally lead a person to commit suicide because it reduces the level of social integration due to stigmatization and discrimination. This usually causes the victim to commit suicide. From the empirical literature review, a study which was carried out in Kenya by Allison et al (1995) revealed that the level of suicides among youths was approaching alarming levels. Factors contributing to the increase of suicide among youths were found to be contracting aids, getting unplanned pregnancy and being unable to feed themselves.

 Economic Hardships Statistics showed that 14 people committed suicide, 8 were male and 6 females most people in Guruve are resettled small scale farmers who ventured into cash crop farming. Most of them obtained loans from the banks before the start of the farming season in anticipation that they will have a good harvest and then repay the loan after selling their produce. However because of whether changes and economic hardships things will not come according to their anticipations, and as an end result, most farmers will be affected especially in repaying their loans. It has been discovered that due to economic hardships,

more males were found to be committing suicide due to the fact that they are land owners therefore they will be responsible the repayment of the loans as well as the losses in the fields. The results of the study are in affirmation with Vandana Shiva (2006), who stated that cotton farmers are the hardest hit by global competition and poor yield hence in the cotton belt suicide cases are taking place on a very large scale. As earlier on alluded in the empirical literature review, the Government of Maharashtra in India, almost 6 in 10 of those who kill themselves had debts between $110 and $550 in which they will be failing to repay. This will then lead them to drinking the very pesticides that were supposed to be used in the cotton farms.

 Domestic Problems Statistics revealed that 15 females and 3 males ended their lives because of domestic problems such as being unfaithful to marital partners, domestic violence, disagreements between the father and mother in the family. The reason why there are more females than males who committed suicide due to domestic problems could be that they are exposed to domestic problems more than males. This means that in most cases, females are the one at home looking after the family as well as coming into terms in everything that will happen to the family. In short women are the hard workers in a rural family but they have got less power over whatever they produce from the family lands. Results of the current study are in line with the results of a study carried out by in Australia by Allison et al (1995) who revealed that children from single parent headed families were more prone to suicide and also children from families were conflict is the order of the day were also likely to commit suicide than those from peaceful families. Children from families were parents are harsh, abusive and always punishing the kids, those kids were also found to be highly suicidal.

 No Clear Reason From the questionnaires distributed, it was found out that during the period under review, 8 people committed suicide that is 5 males and 3 females for an unknown reason. On those 53 cases, 35 respondents indicated that there were 8 cases of suicide in which it was

unknown why the victim committed suicide. Some indicated that it was due to bad omen or unclean spirits in the families which needs to be cleansed.

4.4 People associated with Suicide

Table 4.5: Gender and Marital Status of those who Committed Suicide.

Marital Status Male Female Total

Single 8 11 19

Married 9 13 22

Divorced 03 03 06

Widowed 02 04 06

Total 22 31 53

Source: Primary data

According to the data gathering instruments of the study, a total of 53 people committed suicide in Guruve during the period under review, 31 females and 22 males. Married people are the ones who are mostly killing themselves which can be seen by the statistics in which 22 married people out of 53, committed suicide. 13 being married women and 09 being married men. In one of the cases which was revealed during the interviews, the father of three minor children, after selling his tobacco he decides to marry a second wife. The Father brought a young girl from Harare whom he did not know even her family or her address of where she stayed in Harare. Upon arrival at home in Guruve, the young lady woke up at night and stole all the money from that men. Come in the morning the men woke up only to find out that the new wife had stolen all his hard earned money. To make matters worse, he had not even paid those who assisted him in the farm and because of shame he wrote a letter to his wife apologizing for bringing a thief in his home and stating that was the very reason he decide to take his own life. Of those who are single who committed suicide, 6 were students 4 boys and 2 girls. Both girls had fallen pregnant and those responsible for the pregnancy also denied responsibility. Of the 4 boys, two of them did not say anything before

53 committing suicide up to now no one knows the reason why they committed suicide. Some elders have got a belief that it was due to unclean spirits.

Results of the study are in affirmation with a study conducted in India by Modi and Singh (2012) who revealed that Indian cash crop farmers are mostly committing suicide. Of these farmers most of them are men because in India women are often excluded from farmer suicides due to the fact that women do not own land. The Indian National Crime Record Bureau (2005) indicated that fifteen suicides are committed every hour and 70% of suicide victims in India are married. In Kenya, the study carried out by Mars (2010) of university of Bristol which revealed that more men than women in Kenya successfully committed suicide. However more women than men attempts to take their lives but mostly men are successful because they use lethal weapons than women.

In another study carried by Pamela Kulbarsh, in the United States in 2012 alone 40 600 suicides were reported and suicide was found to be the 10th highest cause of death for all age groups, sexes and ethnicity. Kulbarsh in her study also revealed that males are more likely to commit suicide than women. According to the statistics of that same study, males kill themselves at about four times the rate for females though females attempt suicide three times as often as males. Kulbarsh went on to further articulate that marital status is also associated with suicide rates. She indicated that divorced people are three times likely to commit suicide than people who are married and in United States major cities, gender also played a pivotal role in suicide cases. It was found out from this study that divorced and widowed men are more likely to commit suicide than divorced and widowed women. Living alone and being single was also found to be a major contributing factor to the risk of committing suicide. To add on that she also revealed that being a parent decreases a person’s risk for suicide especially mothers.

4.5: The Impact of Suicide

Respondents Perception

20% 20% land idle 10% no school child labor 10% 30% prostitution married young 10% child headed

Figure 4.3: Impact of suicide (N=250)

Source: Primary data

Findings on Figure 4.3 show that 30% of the respondents indicated that number of school drop outs is also continuing to increase whilst 20% of the respondents indicated that many families are now child headed, and 10% of the respondents allergies that child marriages were also continuing to rise because of suicide cases. 10% of the respondents indicated that some children are now exposed to child labor and prostitution. 20% were alleging that some allocated land has been lying idle for many years due to the fact that, those left behind will not be in a position to use it hence less production. Many families end up as single parent headed family which will also cause stress to the single parent and as an end result. Overally this will have a negative impact to the community, and to the nation as a whole.

The results of the current study are in line with a study carried out by Shiva (2006), In India, where he articulated that if a farmer commits suicide the family left behind will suffer because: the farm will be confiscated due to inability to pay back high interest loans, and will be harassed by corrupt money lenders. The widows are burdened with the new responsibility as the sole breadwinner and sometimes they will also end up committing suicide. As an end result, children will lose both parents forcing their education to come to an end, especially if they have to work in order to

55 provide for their needs. This is line with what is happening in Guruve were most children are no longer going to school due to the fact that they no longer have someone to pay for their fees food and clothing. Especially if they are left alone with a jobless mother who has known only to be house a wife the entire life. Hence child labor is the result and most of the youngsters especially the boys will end up working so as to have somewhere to sleep and something to eat. Other young girls end roaming around the small township of Guruve resulting in being abused and some into prostitution which can as well lead to the increase of HIV and AIDS.

In Guruve, promiscuity is said to be on the increase especially with the young women whose husbands has committed suicide, they will end up falling in love with other women’s husbands hence spread of AIDS. There are also some cases of child marriage due to the fact that there is no one to look after those children. In the sample of the study, out of six, five chiefs mentioned that especially those men killing themselves are letting the Zimbabwean Government down because most of those who committed suicide during the period under review, they would have been allocated land and that same land will go up to 5 to 6 years without being re allocated hence letting the government down in terms of production.

4.6: Ways of Managing Suicide.

This section of the questionnaire seeks to find out what would be the suggestions by respondents on how to manage or reduce suicide cases. The pie chart below presents the ways which were suggested by the respondents.

Suggested ways of managing suicide

16% 26%

NGOs to be Welfare

18% 40% Institutions GVT Interve

Figure 4.4: Ways of managing suicide

Source: Primary data

Results of Figure 4.4 reveal that 40 % of the respondents suggested that, welfare programs should be made avail to those families which are child headed and those who are not going to school. Especially those with no birth certificates should be assisted. However, another chief suggested that, for those families the social welfare should assist them by putting them in children’s homes were they can be looked after well. He went further to suggest that there should be a law which prohibits anyone to use a child as worker and if anyone is found on the wrong side of that law must be punished.

Findings also shows that 26% of the respondents suggested that the government should intervene when it comes to the issue of economic hardships by following up those who were lucky to be allocated farms on the re allocation programs so as to come up with the statistics of those who are failing to utilize the land because of failing to acquire the resources for example farming inputs.

They suggested that those people should be assisted by the government with the inputs so that they will be free from money lenders who become their problem after failing to produce the expected from the farms. A certain chief suggested that health workers and councilors should be deployed in areas like Guruve so as to teach especially the youth, the dangers of early marriages and having multiple partners so as to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS.

From the results, 18% of the respondents were in concurrence with one of the chiefs who suggested that, it is wise to take those who would have tried to commit suicide to some institution for a while where they will be monitored and going through counseling sessions not just for a year but a longer time will be better. The chief went further to suggest that it was better to criminalise suicide for those who would have attempted and failed.

Results indicate that 16% of the respondents suggested that non-governmental organizations willing to assist the locals should be given the opportunity to do so nomater which political party they support or which country they come from. The findings of the current study are in line with Hjelmeland et al (2008) whom in their study revealed that measures to prevent suicide cases should be implemented effectively through government involvement, offering of welfare services and counseling services.

4.7 Summary This chapter focused on presentation, analysis and interpretation of data. The next chapter summarises the research study, drew conclusions and makes recommendations. Implications for future studies would also be suggested.

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction The purpose of this study was to investigate what is causing suicide cases to continue increasing in Guruve District and the research covered the period from January 2012 to December 2014. Literature from other researchers who studied suicide in other countries was reviewed, that enabled the researcher to study and investigate the causes of the trend in Guruve, and the results can be totally generalized to the Zimbabwean context. This chapter presents a summary of the major findings of the research and conclusions drawn from the research findings. Recommendations based on the study findings will follow with proposals which might help to reduce suicide cases thereby effectively dealing with problems of the same nature in different parts of the country.

5.1 Summary of study

The purpose of the study was to investigate the causes of suicide cases. The study was necessitated by the upsurge of suicide cases. Chapter one focused on the background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study. Additionally, the chapter also discussed the scope of the study, the delimitations and limitations. Definition of key terms and abbreviations commonly used in the study were elaborated. Chapter two reviewed relevant literature both theoretically and empirically and, articulating the knowledge gap. Chapter three focused on research methodology of the study. Chapter four looked at data presentation in the form of tables, pie charts and bar graphs, data analysis and discussion of findings. Chapter five dealt with the summary of the study, conclusions and recommendations as well as further research.

5.2 Summary of Findings

The main aim of the study was to establish the main causes of suicide in Guruve District. Other objectives were to describe the groups of people mostly associated with suicide, to determine the impact of suicide cases, and to establish ways of managing or reducing suicide cases.

The study revealed that many people were found to be killing themselves due to domestic problems followed by economic hardships. Suicide is normally committed by someone who is dejected, who does not have any hopes for living. Other causes of suicidal cases are; the perception that someone is alone in the world and no one really cares about him or her, a feeling that someone is being a burden on others and people would be better off if he or she is dead and fearless towards pain and death. Economic hardships were found to be among the major causes of people to commit suicide. The majority of the respondents revealed that no one will commit suicide just like that but there are some reasons which push people to commit suicide which is in line with what the interpersonal theory says. Research findings also indicated that, most people are killing themselves because of domestic problems being on the lead, followed by economic hardships. Some of the factors which were found to be pushing people to commit suicide were unwanted pregnancy, being HIV positive and the rest there was no known reason as to why they committed suicide.

Majority of respondents stated that, married men were found to be mostly associated with committing suicide followed by married women. Suicidal attitudes are basically motivated by the fact that people learn from these acts and appreciate them as a way of solving personal problems. This might be the same with the women who committed suicide because they had unwanted pregnancy, inhale pesticides as a means of solving their problems. More males were found to be committing suicide than females.

The study found out that, the impact of suicide is quite devastating with many families being left out with no parents, children who are supposed to be going to school end up not going to school which can as well leads to child labour. Some of such children especially the girl child will end up being sexually abused and mostly end up being prostitutes that is if not married young. The majority of respondents were farmers who were allocated land. They stated that farmers who were involved in illegal loans to buy farming inputs ended up killing themselves.

The study also revealed that, suicide cases have impacts in the society as most of the respondents suggested that the government should intervene by assisting those in need especially with farming

60 inputs as well as education for all to those who have lost both parents. Majority of respondents stated that suicide cases results in loss of human capital especially the workforce who have the zeal to work for community development. Furthermore, suicidal cases results in disintegration of families and poverty due to loss of the so-called breadwinners.

5.3 Conclusions. The research’s aim was to investigate the causes of suicide cases and suggest strategies that can be implemented to reduce suicide cases. The study concluded that the main causes of suicide cases are domestic problems, economic hardships, health status and unwanted pregnancies. The study also found out that, married men were found to be mostly associated with committing suicide followed by married women. The study also concluded that, suicide cases results in loss of human capital especially the workforce who have the zeal to work for community development. Furthermore, suicidal cases results in disintegration of families and poverty due to loss of the so- called breadwinners.

5.4 Recommendations

A number of initiatives were found to be worthy and be suggested as recommendations as follows;  The government must take the major role in trying to reduce suicide cases. The majority of the respondents expressed that the government should help its citizens in different ways. From the views gathered from the research, the researcher opines that some action must be taken to minimize the rate of suicide cases.  The Zimbabwe Republic Police as a government arm need to make use of its community policing initiatives through the home officers’ scheme. The home officers must have a broad idea of their areas of responsibility as well as knowing the residents of those areas through awareness campaigns giving information to people as well as teaching them about the negative impacts of committing suicide as well as the good part of seeking advice if one is stressed.  Additionally, suicide cases must be thoroughly investigated and the victims should be taken for a postmortem so that there will be clear picture of what exactly killed and to find out if the person concerned has truly committed suicide or there will be some hidden activities. This is so because of one such incident in which a person was found hanging from a tree

in that same area of Guruve, the truth was revealed after burial, that he actually did not hang himself but was killed by a certain men who wanted to steal from him since he had just sold his farm produce. Therefore, it must be made an enforceable rule that no one should be buried without notifying the police and as well as postmortem being done.  The social welfare must play a major role in assisting the disadvantaged and those facing economic hardships especially children not attending school because of failing to pay fees. Having cases in which people kill themselves because of poverty whilst social welfare is there does not mean anything. Therefore, social welfare should rise and take its part of helping those who are in need, it must have programs in which they go to the people to teach them on how they operate and at the same time trying to find out for themselves those who are genuinely in need of assistance of the social welfare. This will be a step in trying to reduce suicide cases.  Without support from the government, nothing can be done on the issue of suicide cases. Funding and providing enough resources or inputs to the poor should be done by the government and those sent to distribute the donations must be audited so as to make sure that those in need are the one who receive those donations because from the findings of the research, the respondents indicated that the government is trying its best in assisting the poor but those sent to distribute have a tendency of diverting the resources.  The government should also make use of professional counselors, health workers to deploy them in areas such as Guruve, so as to help those depressed with counseling. On the other hand, even individual persons who can afford should also assist those they can afford to help because it goes a long way in lessening the burden on the government. Pressure groups such as Musha Mukadzi, Mudzimai wanhasi, Women in Action, Varume Svinurai, Padare and many others should not just concentrate with those in tows but they should also think of those in rural areas and as well assist them through their teachings, counseling and many other things.

5.4 Further Studies

The researcher recommends that further studies be carried out in Zimbabwe and in the field of suicide to examine the impact of suicide and to explore why most men are committing suicide and also to find out methods being used in committing suicide.

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APPENDIX A: Introductory Letter

ZRP Southerton Box St 11 Southerton Harare 21 February 2017

To Whom It May Concern

I, Tracy Mapuranga, am a student at Bindura University of Science Education studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration Honors Degree in Police and Security Studies. In partial fulfillment of the program, I am required to undertake a research whose success solely depends on your cooperation in answering this questionnaire.

My Research project is entitled, “An Investigation into the causes of increasing suicide cases”, a case study of Guruve District. The study is going to cover a period of two years from January 2013 to December 2014. This study seeks to critically investigate what is causing suicide cases to continue increasing amongst Guruve residents and to come up with ways of managing or reducing the suicide cases. Information gathered maybe used in future to address issues of suicide or it may assist in further research. Your honest and sincere responses will be appreciated

You do not have to put your name on the questionnaire and the information you are to provide will be treated with confidentiality. Please tick the relevant box when answering or comment on the space provided and the questionnaire is only to be completed by you.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully

Tracy Mapuranga

APPENDIX B: Questionnaire for Members of the Police

Instruction 1. Please do not write your name on the questionnaire. 2. Tick in the box adjacent to your selected response. 3. Fill in the blank space provided with your response where applicable.

SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

1. Indicate your gender Male [ ] Female [ ]

2. Specify your age range Below 20 years [ ] 20-29 years [ ] 30-39 years [ ] 40 years and above [ ]

3. Specify your highest educational qualifications. Ordinary level [ ] Advanced level [ ] Certificate [ ] Diploma [ ] Higher National Diploma [ ] Degree [ ]

Other: Please specify…………………………………………………………………….

4. What Rank do you hold in the ZRP? Constable [ ] Sergeant/ Sergeant Major [ ] Assistant Inspector [ ] Inspector [ ] Chief Inspector [ ]

5. For how long have you been stationed at ZRP Guruve? Less than 4 years [ ] 4-9 years [ ] 10 years and above [ ]

SECTION B: WHAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSES OF SUICIDE?

6. How many times have you attended to a suicide report? Not at all [ ] Once [ ] More than once [ ]

7. If you have attended, what caused the victim/victims to commit suicide? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

8. Was the case reported immediately after being discovered or it was reported after burial? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. Was the victim taken to hospital for postmortem? Yes [ ] No [ ]

10. If your answer to question 9 is yes, what was the cause of death according to the postmortem report? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

SECTION C: WHO ARE MOSTLY ASSOCIATED WITH SUICIDE?

11. What was the age group of the victim/victims? AGE IN YEARS FREQUENCY 1 More than one (specify)

Below 20 years 20-29 30-39 40 years and above

12. Was the victim male or female? Male [ ] female [ ]

13. Was the victim married or not married? Married [ ] Not married [ ]

14. What was the status of the victim? Student [ ] Employee [ ] Unemployed [ ]

SECTION D: WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SUICIDE?

15. Did the victim have any dependants? For example young children ………………………………………………………………………

16. Was the victim the bread winner of his or her family? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

17. In your own opinion as a police officer, what is the impact of suicide? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

SECTION E: HOW CAN SUICIDE BE MANAGED OR REDUCED?

18. Are there any measures put in place especially by the police in trying to manage or reduce suicide? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

19. If there are any measures, are they effective? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

20. As a police officer, what is your opinion on what could be done as a way of reducing suicide cases? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

21. Any comment you wish to make with regard to suicide cases. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

APPENDIX C: Introductory Letter

ZRP Southerton Box St 11 Southerton Harare 21 February 2017

To Whom It May Concern

I, Tracy Mapuranga, am a student at Bindura University of Science Education studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration Honors Degree in Police and Security Studies. In partial fulfillment of the program, I am required to undertake a research whose access solely depends on your cooperation in answering this questionnaire.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully

Tracy Mapuranga

APPENDIX D: Questionnaire for Members of the Public

Instruction 1. Please do not write your name on the questionnaire. 2. Tick in the box adjacent to your selected response. 3. Fill in the blank space provided with your response where applicable.

SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

1. Gender Male [ ] Female [ ]

2. Marital Status Single [ ] Married [ ] Other [ ] Specify ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. What is your age group? 18-29 years [ ] 30-40 years [ ] 41-50 years [ ] 51-60 years [ ] 61 years and above [ ]

4. For how long have you been staying in Guruve? Less than 4 years [ ] 4-9 years [ ] 10 years and above [ ]

SECTION B: WHAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSES OF SUICIDE?

5. Have you ever lost someone through suicide? Close relative [ ] Neighbor [ ]

Anyone you know in your village [ ] No one [ ]

6. If your answer on question 5 is yes, when was that? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

7. Was the case reported to the police after being discovered? ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

8. Did the victim left a note or anything indicating the cause of death? …………………………………………………………………………………………….

9. If yes, what was mentioned as the cause of death? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 10. Was postmortem done on the deceased? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 11. What was the cause of the death according to the postmortem report? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

SECTION C: WHO ARE MOSTLY ASSOCIATED WITH SUICIDE?

12. What was the age group of the victim? Below 20 years [ ] 20-29 years [ ] 30-39 ears [ ] 40 years and above [ ]

13. Was the victim male or female? Male [ ] female [ ]

14. Was the victim married or not married? Married [ ] Not married [ ]

15. What was the status of the victim? Student [ ] Employee [ ] Unemployed [ ]

SECTION D: WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SUICIDE?

16. Did the victim have any dependants? For example young children ……………………………………………………………………… 17. Was the victim the bread winner of his or her family? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

18. In your own opinion, what is the impact of suicide to the family of the victim and to the community as well? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

SECTION E: HOW CAN SUICIDE BE MANAGED OR REDUCED?

19. Are there any measures put in place especially by the community leaders in trying to manage or reduce suicide? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

20. If there are any measures, are they effective? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

21. As a resident of Guruve, what is your opinion on what could be done as a way of reducing suicide cases? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

22. Any comment you wish to make with regard to suicide cases. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

APPENDIX E: AN INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR POLICE OFFICERS STATIONED AT ZRP GURUVE.

TOPIC: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF AN INCREASE IN SUICIDE CASES. A CASE STUDY OF GURUVE DISTRICT FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 2013 TO DECEMBER 2014.

1. For how long have you been stationed at ZRP Gururve? 2. Have you ever attended to a suicide case? 3. Was the case reported immediately after being discovered or after burial of the victim? 4. Was the body taken to hospital for a postmortem? 5. If yes, what was the cause of death according to the postmortem report? 6. Who are mainly committing suicide in Guruve that is age, gender, marital status etc? 7. What is the impact of suicide to the family left behind as well as to the community/ 8. Are there any measures being put in place as a way of trying to manage or reduce suicide cases? 9. If there are any, are they effective or are they yielding the desired results? 10. What do you think should be done to manage or reduce suicide cases?

APPENDIX F: AN INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR RESIDENTS OF GURUVE.

TOPIC: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF AN INCREASE IN SUICIDE CASES. A CASE STUDY OF GURUVE DISTRICT FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 2013 TO DECEMBER 2014.

1. For how long have you been staying in Guruve? 2. Have you ever lost a relative, friend or a neighbor through suicide? 3. Did the victim left a note or anything indicating why he or she opted to commit suicide? 4. What was the age, gender and marital status of the victim? 5. Was the body of the deceased person taken for a postmortem? 6. What was the cause of death according to the postmortem report? 7. What is the impact of suicide to the family left behind and to the community as well? 8. Are there any measures being put in place by the community leaders as a way of trying to manage or reduce suicide cases? 9. If there are any, are they effective? 10. As a resident of Guruve, what is your opinion as to what could be done as a way of managing or reducing suicide cases. 11. Do you have any contribution with regard to the issue of suicide cases?