Healing begins when men talk

Mfundo Totana is a 47-year-old father of two boys. Like many men in the city he carries an invisible weight, one not often spoken about: the silent struggle with his mental health.

- NAMHLA MONAKALI

"I don’t always feel okay," Totana admitted, his voice steady but sincere. “But I’ve learnt it’s better to say that out loud than to pretend everything is fine.”

June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to break the silence and encourage open conversations around emotional well-being.

In a society that often tells men to be strong, to “man-up” or hold it in, this month's message is simple but powerful: “It's okay not to be okay.”

For Totana the struggle isn’t new. He has faced long spells of unemployment and the crushing pressure of trying to provide for his family while feeling emotionally drained.

“People say ‘Just get a job,’ but they don’t see how hard it is when your mind won't settle, when the stress just piles up.”

Like many others he admits to bottling things up.

“Sometimes I stay quiet because I don’t want to be seen as weak. But that silence hurts more than anything.”