Four initiates have died in four days in the Eastern Cape and three traditional initiation practitioners have been arrested.
Two initiates died in East London, one in Butterworth and one in Port St Johns — one on Tuesday last week, two on Thursday and one on Saturday.
Three were circumcised unlawfully without documents or their traditional initiation practitioners were not registered with authorities.
Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders chair Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso said the deaths were disturbing.
“We urge all stakeholders and patriots, especially parents and communities, to join hands in fighting this scourge,” he said.
“We are not sending children to die. This custom does not kill.
“We are happy that three people have been arrested.”
A 16-year-old initiate died at Mzamomhle in Gonubie in East London on Tuesday.
According to a report from the initiation forum, the initiate was unlawfully circumcised.
“The initiate reported pain and weakness of joints on June 10,” the report said.
“The next morning he was still weak and was rushed in a private vehicle to Frere Hospital in East London, where he was certified dead.”
A second East London death was reported in Gonubie.
According to the initiation monitoring forum report, the 18-year-old legal initiate was circumcised on June 8 and died on Saturday.
“According to a family member, the initiate was deprived of water though he had made several requests,” the report said.
“He was seen with blood coming from his mouth.
“The traditional nurse also reports that the initiate had visual and verbal hallucinations.
“He allegedly fell and died before they called in for help. A case has been opened.”
He was the only legally circumcised initiate of the four who died.
A postmortem on both East London initiates will be conducted this week.
In one of the two cases, a man has been arrested and is expected to appear in the East London magistrate’s court on Tuesday for the alleged unlawful circumcision of the Mzamomhle initiate.
Gwadiso said it was suspected that dehydration had played a role in the deaths.
A 19-year-old initiate, Zolani Soyana, died at the Yako informal settlement in Butterworth on Thursday, five days after being circumcised on June 8.
It is alleged that neither the traditional surgeon nor the nurse were registered.
Mnquma traditional initiation forum chair Nkosi Phathuxolo Tyali said the police were trying to trace the traditional surgeon.
“It is claimed that nobody knows who circumcised him,” he said.
“We always urge parents to use surgeons with proven track records and traditional lodges to be easily accessible for rescue teams.
“Initiates must be quickly referred to medical institutions or contact monitoring teams as soon as an initiate falls ill.”
Soyana was a grade 10 pupil at Vulindlela Senior Secondary School at Msobomvu township in Butterworth
His mother, Faniswa Ntshingolo, 71, said he had undergone all the necessary medical checks at the local clinic before circumcision.
“I had even taken him to a traditional healer as part of efforts to ward off evil spirits while he was in the bush and ensure he returned home safely,” she said.
“The healer also visited the bush where he applied his traditional medicine for the safety of the initiate.”
The funeral will be on June 29.
Regarding the Port St Johns death, police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said traditional surgeon Sindile Mamane, 38, and traditional nurse Mlungisi Sithole, 46, had appeared in court on Thursday on an unlawful circumcision charge.
They were remanded until June 25.
“The suspects were arrested at Mthweni locality in the Lower Ntafufu/Noqhekwana administrative area in [Port St Johns municipality] near Lusikisiki on Thursday for allegedly unlawfully circumcising a 15-year-old boy without any documentation,” Matyolo said.
The initiate died the same day.
In the 2023 winter season, 19 initiates died.
Gwadiso warned parents they would be arrested if they subjected their sons to unlawful circumcisions.
“Let’s work together to ensure there are no more deaths,” he said.
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