By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Eastern Cape MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) Zolile Williams confirmed 27 initiates have died in the Eastern Cape during the current summer initiation season.
Williams said most of the initiates died as a result of not drinking water.
He called on initiation school owners to stop telling initiates that if they don’t drink water, their circumcision wounds will heal faster.
“According to doctors the body of a person needs water to keep on functioning well.
“Young men must also undergo health screening so that their health status is known because it is dangerous to admit them without having their health records, “said Williams.
Cogta’s recent summer initiation season preliminary report indicated several challenges including the lack or limited understanding of customary male circumcision among school principals, lack of community support and parental involvement and increasing crime incidents in the schools.
The report said 25 cases of unlawful circumcisions were opened resulting in the arrests of 23 people. During last year’s summer initiation season, the province recorded 35 deaths while 23 died in 2022.
On December 14, the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs released a statement detailing the findings of their three-day oversight visit to Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo districts in the Eastern Cape.
During this visit, the committee assessed some initiation sites’ compliance with the Customary Initiation Act.”
“The committee focused on districts that historically were hotspots for initiation-related deaths. Concluding the oversight visit at OR Tambo’s Mhlontlo local municipality yesterday, the committee was informed of three deaths of initiates during the summer initiation season in Mhlontlo.”
“Two of the deaths were of initiates who were illegally circumcised, while one was legally circumcised. No tangible and satisfactory report was provided on the arrests of the perpetrators of the illegal initiation,” the statement read.