South Africa has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world, and for young men, that reality hits especially hard. They’re expected to “man up,” provide for their families, and never crack under pressure.
But what happens when the weight becomes too much?
That’s exactly what 23-year-old youth reporter Kabir Jugram explores in his episode Nothing Wrong, Bro, a documentary-style podcast from Radio Workshop.
A Midnight Call That Changed Everything
It was just after midnight when the phone rang. Kabir’s friend Shacky didn’t sound like himself. He sounded down and defeated and was ready to end it all. Kabir and his friends jumped into the car and sped down the highway, praying they’d arrive in time.
“That moment changed me. It changed our friendship. Yet we never talked about it,”
Kabir says.
Youth unemployment sits around 46%, so young men like Kabir and Shacky face pressure that feels impossible; supporting families, pretending to be strong, and hiding their pain because “men don’t show emotions. “
As Shacky puts it: “Most men don’t speak about pain. They carry it like a secret. I do the same.”
Growing Up With No Space for Feelings
Shacky grew up in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. When his parents moved to Malawi in 2019, he suddenly became responsible for his two younger brothers.
“We had to understand that we’re literally on our own right now…” he says.
He tried everything to make ends meet, small businesses, gigs, but the pressure kept piling up. Their home faced foreclosure. The electricity was off more often than on. He started borrowing money he couldn’t pay back and pretending everything was fine. Until one night, everything broke.
Kabir and a group of friends found him sitting in his car at Da Gama Park, with his mother on speakerphone, reading Bible verses. Shacky sat still, saying nothing.
“It was the first time she saw me in a mess,” he says. “She always thought I was numb.”
Breaking the Silence Around Masculinity
Kabir’s reporting is a powerful reminder that vulnerability isn’t weakness. Radio Workshop’s Editorial Director, Lesedi Mogoatlhe, puts it perfectly:
“Young men like Kabir and Shacky are showing us that vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s courage.”
Nothing Wrong, Bro creates space for young men to speak openly about mental health, masculinity, grief, and the pressure of surviving with limited opportunities.
This work is part of our commitment at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute. Through collaboration with local partners in South Africa, we’re expanding access to culturally responsive, evidence-based mental health care, using youth voices, mental health literacy, and expert training to help build a stronger future, one story at a time.
