Zolani Zondani, a South African man, has embarked on a 1,071km walk from Gqeberha to Johannesburg to raise awareness about men's mental health and substance abuse. His journey, which began 15 days ago, has tested his physical and emotional endurance, but he remains determined to finish what he started. Zondani's walk is deeply personal, shaped by his childhood experiences, bereavement, and the loss of his brother to substance abuse.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), South Africa ranked among the 10 countries with the highest suicide rates globally in 2019, with 23.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The country recorded an estimated 13,774 suicide deaths that year, with men accounting for the vast majority, 10,861 deaths, compared to 2,913 among women. Zondani's mission is to encourage men to seek help before they reach breaking point and to create safe spaces where they can speak openly about their struggles.
Zondani's walk is not his first long-distance journey for the cause. In October 2025, he walked approximately 700km from Gqeberha to Cape Town to raise awareness about men's mental health and substance abuse. That journey showed him that his mission was bigger than himself, and he encountered ordinary South Africans who offered him food, accommodation, encouragement, and stories of their own struggles.
Zondani's latest walk is a continuation of his mission through Broski Brotherhood NPC, a non-profit organisation he founded to create safe spaces for men to speak openly about their struggles and seek help without shame. He hopes that his walk will encourage men to recognise that asking for help is not a sign of weakness and that emotional struggles should not have to be faced alone.
The journey has not been without hardship for Zondani, who has endured blistering heat, thirst, dry winds, and the constant danger of sharing busy roads with cars and trucks. He has also had to contend with doubt and a lack of support from some of the people he expected to stand behind him. Despite these challenges, Zondani remains committed to his mission and has been encouraged by the response to his walk.
Along the way, Zondani has been met with Ubuntu, a term that describes the humanity and kindness of strangers. Men have also opened up about their struggles and acknowledged their need for support, which has encouraged Zondani and reinforced the importance of his mission. He hopes that his walk will inspire a future where men are free from the burden of suffering in silence.
For Zondani, the walk is not just about reaching a destination, but about creating a support system that restores hope and saves lives. He believes that every kilometre represents a call for understanding, brotherhood, and a society where men feel seen, heard, supported, and valued. Ultimately, Zondani's mission goes far beyond reaching a city, and he remains committed to making a difference in the lives of men struggling with mental health and substance abuse.
Key points
- Zolani Zondani's walk aims to raise awareness about men's mental health and substance abuse in South Africa, where men account for the majority of suicide deaths.
