Podcast episode: Nothing Wrong, Bro
- South Africa has one of the highest Youth Unemployment rates in the World.
- Young men face immense pressure to provide for their families while being told to “man up and make a plan.”
- 23-year-old reporter Kabir Jugram delves into how young men often struggle in silence, unable to share their feelings or ask for help.
- This episode examines how young South African men are breaking the silence around depression, grief, and the pressure to be providers in a country with scarce opportunities.
It was around midnight when the phone rang. Kabir Jugram’s friend Shacky didn’t sound like his usual self. He was sitting alone in his car at a park, and he wanted to end it all.
“That moment changed me. It changed our friendship. Yet we never talked about it.”
That night, Kabir found himself speeding down the highway, hoping to arrive before Shacky did something he couldn’t undo. In South Africa, where youth unemployment sits at around 46%, young men like Shacky and Kabir face crushing pressure to provide for their families while being told they can’t show weakness or ask for help.
“Most men don’t speak about pain. They carry it like a secret. I do the same.”
According to Radio Workshop’s Editorial Director, Lesedi Mogoatlhe, “young men like Kabir and Shacky are showing us that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s courage. Their willingness to share these difficult stories helps break down the harmful stereotypes about masculinity that keep so many young people suffering in silence.“
Shacky grew up in Hillbrow in Johannesburg, a high-density neighborhood known for high levels of unemployment, violence, and crime. Shacky says he learned early on in his life that emotions were a luxury his family couldn’t afford. His parents moved to Malawi in 2019, leaving Shacky to care for his two younger brothers.
“We had to understand that hey, we’re literally on our own right now. Like we can’t depend on them.”
Shacky attempted various businesses, and the pressure continued to mount. The family home faced foreclosure, there was no electricity, and Shacky was becoming someone he didn’t want to be—borrowing money he couldn’t repay, lying to avoid facing reality.
The night Kabir received the midnight call, he and his friends found Shacky in his car at Da Gama Park, with his mother on speaker phone quoting Bible verses. Shacky sat motionless and unresponsive.
“It was the first time she experienced me in a mess. Because she was always like, yeah, this guy is the guy who’s numb, literally.”
Through Kabir’s intimate reporting, we hear how that night became a turning point, not just for Shacky, but for their friendship and their understanding of what it means to be vulnerable.
This episode and the work of Radio Workshop would not be possible without the support of Luminate, the Child Mind Institute, the Shin Creek Trust, the Anne Levy Charitable Trust, the SCP Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. Special thanks to Audio Militia, Viki Merrick, Rob Byers, and thank you to Hindenburg for supporting our work by providing audio editing software.
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