Sarah Bathi/ Picture: TikTok
South Africa’s TikTok community has been left in a state of despair after finding out that one of their own, Sarah Baloyi, has reportedly died by suicide after being subjected to some unwarranted cyberbullying regarding her weight following her participation in a trending challenge.
A platform that has become the country’s go-to happy space has quickly become somber as it has been revealed that TikTok user @SarahBathii has died by suicide as a result of the cyberbullying she had been subjected to after participating in the ‘collide’ challenge where TikTok users show off their parents, and then post a picture of themselves in order to compare the resemblance.
Unfortunately, Sarah was subjected to some unwarranted bullying as a plethora of social media users stormed her comments section to hurl some insults at her, as well as make fun of her weight. These users made fat phobic comments, with some that insinuated that she ate her parents, which is why she was as big as she was, while others referred to her as ugly.
According to some users, the bullying became too much for the young girl, who opted to commit suicide as a means to put an end to her suffering. As expected, this incident has given rise to a broader conversation regarding bullying and fat phobia, and has gotten some users raising awareness about the dangers and issues of cyberbullying.
@kgosi_mmamabasa Cyber bullying is REAL…. This place is toxic and you’ll claimed the life of a young lady trying to navigate 🧭 through life!! RIP 🪦 @Bomba Bathii.❤️🩹🫅 #controversialfatgirl #agorgeoushunkacheesekop #sdudlaselasacheesekop #sdudlaselasedese #kgosigadithestagename #tebalelomabasa #kgosigadimabasa #bombabathii #sarahbathiibullying #stopcyberbullying #cyberbullyingawareness #cyberbullyingprevention ♬ original sound – Kgosigadi_Mabasa
Prominent figures on the platform, such as Dominic Zac, have spoken on the matter, and highlighted the reason behind is ‘expose’s’ and them reaching out to people’s workplaces about the things they post online. Furthermore, Dominic emphasises the role that major marketing brands play in the silencing and lack of awareness against serious matters such as bullying. According to Dominic, these brands and companies have normalised political correctness, which discourages prominent figures from speaking out on these matters, as their content panders to what big brands want to see.
@zacadominicRest in peace my Angel❤️♬ original sound – Dominic Zaca – Gay Thanos
Also see: Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi breathes sigh of relief after IPID withdraws complaint
