By Staff Writer
As the 2024 winter initiation season ends, a total of 14 initiates have been reported dead.
Of these deaths, six were due to illegal circumcision, while seven were caused by dehydration and wound infections. The latest initiate to die succumbed to injuries after his hut caught fire in Qumbu.
Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Zolile Williams urged parents and communities to play an active role in the initiation process.
“Parents continue to allow their children to be circumcised by untrained surgeons. It’s difficult for the government to do anything when parents hide the schools and also participate illegally in the process.
So, I still make a clarion call to parents to say – for the traditional circumcision to succeed, parents need to play their role to ensure that the passage to manhood is driven in a safe environment,” Williams said.
Chair of the EC Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana believes that traditional leaders could put an end to illegal circumcision.
“Condolences to the bereaved families. We once more call upon our government to restore powers and functions to the institution of traditional leadership in South Africa and resource them, because we believe that we can deal decisively with all these ragamuffins who continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the valuable lives of our leaders of tomorrow,” Nonkonyana said.
Pictured above:Traditional initiates take a walk on a field at an initiation school
Source: Facebook
