Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in South Africa

A helpline is a place to talk to someone when you are struggling, before or instead of a crisis. The lines on this page are answered by counsellors, social workers or trained volunteers, depending on the service. If you are not in South Africa, the worldwide list is organised by country.

What you share is kept private in almost all cases; if a counsellor believes a life is in immediate danger, they may arrange urgent help. What each service costs is set out beside it below. Most of the lines on this page are toll-free, and a few organisations publish no cost at all, so we say so rather than guess.

TherapyRoute is a directory. We do not answer calls or messages ourselves, so please use the numbers below rather than contacting us if you need someone now.

CRISIS LINES, SUICIDE HOTLINES, AND HELPLINES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Each number below was checked in September 2026 at the operating organisation's own website, or at an official South African government page.

Notice an error or a missing service? Please tell us so we can correct it.

Emergency numbers, 10111, 10177 and 112

SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline, 0800 567 567

Gender-Based Violence Command Centre, 0800 428 428

Substance Abuse Helpline, 0800 12 13 14

Higher Health, 0800 36 36 36, for students and staff

LifeLine South Africa, national counselling line, 0861 322 322

LifeLine Gender Violence Helpline, 0800 150 150

LifeLine AIDS Helpline, 0800 012 322

Childline South Africa, 116, for children

Netcare Akeso crisis line, 0861 435 787

TEARS Foundation, 08000 83277

ChaiFM Helpline, 0800 24 24 36

Cipla Mental Health Helpline, 0800 456 789

Dr Reddy's Mental Health Helpline, 0800 21 22 23

Adcock Ingram Depression and Anxiety Helpline, 0800 70 80 90

Other national SADAG lines

SADAG WhatsApp lines, 8am to 5pm

Careline, in KwaZulu-Natal

While you are waiting to be answered

If you are worried about someone else

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Emergency numbers, 10111, 10177 and 112

South Africa runs separate numbers for the police, for an ambulance and for mobile phones. The Western Cape Government states the position plainly on its own emergency-numbers page: "Currently, there's no single emergency number in South Africa so it's very important for you to have the correct contact details handy for a speedy response to your specific emergency."

Police: 10111

Ambulance: 10177

From a mobile phone: 112, published as working on the MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Telkom networks

Crime Stop: 0860 010 111

Cost: not published on the official pages we checked.

10111 is printed on the South African Police Service's own homepage. 10177 and 112 were read on the Western Cape Government's emergency-numbers page, which is a provincial source. No national government page listing them was reachable when this page was checked, and the numbers are not Western Cape numbers.

SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline, 0800 567 567

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group, known as SADAG, runs South Africa's national suicide crisis line. SADAG is the country's largest mental health advocacy and counselling organisation, and it answers most of the toll-free lines on this page. Its own site lists this number first, under the heading "24-HOUR TOLL-FREE EMERGENCY HELPLINES".

You do not have to be phoning for yourself. In SADAG's own words: "You can call SADAG to talk on behalf of a loved one, colleague, or friend. Trained counsellors are there to help and refer you to local counsellors, facilities and Support Groups."

Tel: 0800 567 567

Hours: 24 hours, in SADAG's own words.

Cost: toll-free, in SADAG's own words.

Gender-Based Violence Command Centre, 0800 428 428

The Gender-Based Violence Command Centre is a national call centre run by the Department of Social Development. The Department of Justice describes it on its own page: "The Centre operates a National, 24hr/7days-a-week Call Centre facility. The facility employs social workers who are responsible for call-taking and call referrals." The Centre refers callers to the police, and it can send a social worker to someone who has been harmed.

In the Centre's own words: "If your life is in danger or you know of someone who is in danger, please contact our help line and we will assist you immediately."

Tel: 0800 428 428

Request a social worker: dial *120*7867# for a please-call-me

SMS: send the word help to 31531, published for people with disabilities

Skype: Helpme GBV, published for deaf callers

Hours: "24hr/7days-a-week", in the Department of Justice's words.

Cost: not published, although the number is an 0800 line.

Substance Abuse Helpline, 0800 12 13 14

This is the Department of Social Development's national substance abuse line, and SADAG answers it. SADAG lists it among its 24-hour toll-free emergency helplines.

Tel: 0800 12 13 14

SMS: 32312

Hours: 24 hours, per SADAG's own helpline list. SADAG's suicide-help page presents the same number differently, as the line to phone between 8pm and 8am when the Dr Reddy's line is closed. Both statements are SADAG's own. We print the wider one and say plainly that the two pages differ.

Cost: toll-free.

Higher Health, 0800 36 36 36, for students and staff

Higher Health is the Department of Higher Education and Training's implementing arm for student health. Its crisis helpline is for students and staff in post-school education, including anyone reporting gender-based violence. If you are not studying or working at a college or university, one of the general lines above will suit you better.

In its own words: "Our helpline operates 24/7, 365 days a year, providing confidential and compassionate support to students across South Africa."

Tel: 0800 36 36 36

Hours: "operates 24/7, 365 days a year", in Higher Health's own words.

Cost: "at no cost", in its own words.

SADAG's own university-lines page prints the same number, which is a second official source for it.

LifeLine South Africa, national counselling line, 0861 322 322

LifeLine South Africa runs a national telephone counselling line. In the organisation's own words: "In addition to the telephone counselling offered by a number of centres around the country, the national counselling line receives an average of 200 calls a day, allowing callers to discuss a range of challenges from trauma and suicide to relationship issues."

LifeLine does not publish this line's hours or its cost anywhere on its own site, so we cannot tell you whether it is answered at night. If you cannot get through and you need someone now, the SADAG line above is answered 24 hours.

Tel: 0861 322 322

WhatsApp: +27 60 715 4415

Chat: live chat, linked from LifeLine's own homepage.

Email: safetalking@lifeline.org.za

Cost: not published.

LifeLine Gender Violence Helpline, 0800 150 150

LifeLine South Africa also runs a line for people in abusive relationships. In its own words: "Break the silence against domestic violence." The organisation says you can talk to it about abuse that is physical, emotional, sexual or financial.

Tel: 0800 150 150

WhatsApp: 0800 150 150

Hours: not published. Cost: not published.

LifeLine AIDS Helpline, 0800 012 322

LifeLine South Africa's HIV and AIDS line. In its own words, you can "Talk to us about: Treatment, The importance of testing for HIV, Different kinds of transmission, Prevention of HIV, Living positively with the virus."

LifeLine publishes the same number for what it calls the Nerve Centre, which it describes as "a South African National Department of Health initiative which serves as a helpdesk nationally". We print both descriptions as LifeLine gives them, without deciding which service the number belongs to.

Tel: 0800 012 322

WhatsApp: +27 84 922 8808

Email: health@lifeline.org.za

Hours: not published. Cost: not published.

Childline South Africa, 116, for children

Childline South Africa answers 116 for children, and for adults who are worried about a child. In its own words: "The helpline is accessible, 24 hours a day and free from all networks, to children up to the age of 18, as well as adults that have concerns about children, and enables them to contact someone to express their concerns and talk about issues directly affecting them."

Counsellors listen and, where a child needs more than a phone call, they refer to social workers at the Department of Social Development or Child Welfare, and to the police. Childline says plainly that it does not itself carry out statutory work such as removals or home visits. It has regional offices in all nine provinces.

Tel: 116

Chat: online counselling, Monday to Friday, 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm. These hours are shorter than the phone line's, in Childline's own listing.

Hours: "24 hours a day" for the phone line, in Childline's own words.

Cost: "free from all networks", in its own words.

Netcare Akeso crisis line, 0861 435 787

Netcare Akeso runs a crisis line for mental health emergencies. The organisation now names itself Netcare Akeso; the legacy version of this page called it Akeso. In its own words: "The Netcare Akeso crisis line is a telephone service operating 24/7 where trained crisis line counsellors can guide you or your loved ones through an immediate mental health emergency or crisis and facilitate getting you to a point of care."

It is direct about what it is not: "While we are not a phone counselling platform (we don't offer long term counselling options over the phone), we are here to listen, and we can guide or refer you or your loved one wherever possible." Its counsellors are "social workers and registered counsellors".

Tel: 0861 435 787

Hours: "available 24/7", in Netcare's own words.

Cost: not published.

TEARS Foundation, 08000 83277

TEARS Foundation supports people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. In its own words: "TEARS Foundation provides access to FREE Crisis Intervention, Advocacy, counselling and prevention education services for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse."

It says its contact platforms are "monitored 24/7" and "accessible nationwide by anyone who has access to a phone".

Tel: 08000 83277, which TEARS also prints as the word 08000 TEARS

Support locator: dial *134*7355#

WhatsApp: +27 66 435 3108

Office: 010 590 5920

Email: info@tears.co.za

Hours: "We are available 24/7, 365 days a year", in TEARS's own words.

Cost: toll-free, and TEARS states its services are provided at "NO CHARGE".

ChaiFM Helpline, 0800 24 24 36

ChaiFM, a Johannesburg community radio station, runs a national counselling helpline. In its own words: "We are a 24-hour community helpline that serves the community through telephonic counselling." It describes the service as a "ChaiFM 24-hour national toll-free confidential Helpline", and it phones people back as well as taking calls.

Tel: 0800 24 24 36

Hours: "24-hour", in ChaiFM's own words.

Cost: "toll-free", in its own words.

Cipla Mental Health Helpline, 0800 456 789

SADAG answers this line, which Cipla funds. It sits under SADAG's 24-hour toll-free emergency helplines.

Tel: 0800 456 789

SMS: 31393

WhatsApp: 076 882 2775

Hours: 24 hours for the phone and SMS. SADAG publishes the WhatsApp line separately, 8am to 5pm, so do not count on it at night.

Cost: toll-free.

Dr Reddy's Mental Health Helpline, 0800 21 22 23

Another line SADAG answers, funded by Dr Reddy's. It takes calls from people who are in distress or at risk of suicide. Outside its hours, phone the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0800 567 567, which is answered 24 hours.

Tel: 0800 21 22 23

Hours: 8am to 8pm, in SADAG's own listing.

Cost: toll-free.

Adcock Ingram Depression and Anxiety Helpline, 0800 70 80 90

SADAG answers this line too, funded by Adcock Ingram, for people in distress or at risk of suicide. Outside its hours, phone the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0800 567 567, which is answered 24 hours.

Tel: 0800 70 80 90

Hours: 8am to 8pm, in SADAG's own listing.

Cost: toll-free.

Other national SADAG lines

SADAG publishes four further national toll-free lines. Two are answered 24 hours and two are open from 8am to 8pm. They are scoped to particular groups of callers, so they are listed here rather than above.

NPOwer SA Helpline, answered 24 hours. SADAG does not say on the page we read who the line is for; the name points to people working in the non-profit sector.

Tel: 0800 515 515

SMS: 43010

Healthcare Workers Care Network Helpline, answered 24 hours, for healthcare workers.

Tel: 0800 21 21 21

SMS: 43001

ADHD Helpline, 8am to 8pm.

Tel: 0800 55 44 33

Pharma Dynamics Police and Trauma Helpline, 8am to 8pm, for police members and people dealing with trauma.

Tel: 0800 20 50 26

Cost: all four are toll-free, in SADAG's own listing.

SADAG WhatsApp lines, 8am to 5pm

If you cannot safely make a call, SADAG answers four WhatsApp lines. It publishes their hours as 8am to 5pm, which is shorter than its phone lines, so a message sent at night may wait until morning.

Have Hope Chat Line: 087 163 2050

Maybelline BraveTogether: 087 163 2030

Ke Moja Substance Abuse: 087 163 2025

Cipla Mental Health: 076 882 2775

Hours: 8am to 5pm, in SADAG's own listing. Cost: not published.

Careline, in KwaZulu-Natal

Careline Crisis and Trauma Centre is based at Assagay in KwaZulu-Natal and serves that province rather than the whole country. In its own words: "The primary intention of Careline Crisis is to provide vital guidance and support necessary in cases of crisis and trauma. This involves being available at the point of call, providing initial and primary support before referring people to the best ongoing community or government support services available."

It runs a help desk that takes the first call, and a crisis reaction team that "Responds to callouts from the Police, security companies and the public".

Emergency: 082 787 6452 or 082 822 7981

Office hours: 031 765 1587 or 031 765 1314

Treatment enquiries: 066 0066 037

Email: care@carelinecrisis.org

Hours: "Crisis Intervention 24/7-365", the heading on Careline's own crisis-support page.

Cost: not published.

While you are waiting to be answered

A line that is open can still be busy, and several of the lines above close in the evening. If you are waiting, try to stay with someone you trust, or ask someone to sit with you until the call connects.

If you have anything near you that you could use to harm yourself, put it somewhere harder to reach, or ask someone else to hold it for you. Distance and time both help.

If waiting is not possible, dial 10177 for an ambulance, or 112 from a mobile phone, or go to a hospital casualty department. You do not need an appointment and you do not need to explain yourself well.

If you are worried about someone else

Ask them directly. Asking someone whether they are thinking of suicide does not put the idea there, and it often comes as a relief to be asked plainly.

Listen more than you advise. You do not need the right words, and you are not expected to fix anything.

If they are willing, offer to sit with them while they phone one of the numbers above, or to make the call together. If they are in immediate danger, treat it as you would any medical emergency.

Supporting someone through this is heavy, and it is reasonable to want support of your own. SADAG takes calls from people phoning on behalf of a friend, a colleague or a family member, and Childline answers at any hour if a child is involved.

For services in other countries, see the list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

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