Matriculants and parents dealing with anxiety and tension ahead of the release of the 2015 matric results can get help, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini said on Sunday.

The minister said in a statement that the department had made the Gender Based Violence Command Centre available for anxious matriculants, days before the release of the results.

The centre is a 24-hour toll free line that offers counselling for victims of gender based violence.

However, for this period, it will be available to both parents and learners, the department said.

"We know that some matriculants at this time may be anxious and there have been reports previously of some who take their own lives. We want to say to both parents and their children that they can make use of the command centre. We also want to caution our young people against turning to alcohol and drugs during this period," Minister Dlamini said.

The Command Centre can be reached toll free on 0800 428 428.

Callers can also request a social worker from the Command Centre to contact them by dialling *120*7867# from any cell phone.

News24

Source

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/help-available-for-anxious-matrics-dlamini-20160103