A total of 14 initiates lost their lives in the Eastern Cape during the 2024 winter initiation season and 113 were admitted to hospital. Three needed penile amputations.
Co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Zolile Williams said were it not for the various monitoring interventions, the number of recorded deaths could have been higher.
The season, which started on May 31 for out-of-school youths and on June 14 for pupils, saw 11,193 boys taking part in the age-old custom.
“Notwithstanding the massive initiative-taking and preventive interventions by our key stakeholders, we have needlessly lost 14 young lives and had three amputations,” Williams said.
“We regret the deaths and send our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
“Our monitoring teams went out to implement our monitoring intervention strategy towards the safe passage of our children to manhood.”
A total of 8,531 boys reportedly underwent medical screening before entering initiation school.
About 9,096 legal schools were visited by monitoring teams across the province.
According to the department, 1,287 illegal initiation schools were uncovered while health officials treated about 1,626 initiates on the spot for various medical conditions.
Williams said as part of the preparations, 1,281 iingcibi namakhankatha (traditional surgeons and nurses) had undergone training on infection prevention and control as well as wound care.
Nine initiates had died in illegal initiation schools and five at legal schools. The dead were aged between 15 and 56.
The OR Tambo district accounted for seven of the deaths, followed by Buffalo City with three, Alfred Nzo district with two, and Nelson Mandela Bay and Amathole district with one each.
“It is concerning that more deaths occurred during the first and second weeks, with dehydration being the main cause,” Williams said.
“We recommend that hydration be included as part of the premedical examination process to mitigate the risk.”
Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders chair Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso also expressed concern at the continued deaths of initiates in the province.
The security cluster was dealing with those who failed to comply with the national Customary Initiation Act of 2021 and the provincial Customary Male Initiation Act of 2016.
He said 22 cases were in court and 10 were still being investigated by police.
Two cases of murder were being investigated, and there were 17 cases in which police were looking for the suspects.
“The [security] cluster is geared towards the execution of its provincial operation to track and arrest the suspects.
“Some are spread throughout the country.”
Gwadiso said: “The crisis befalls us annually, albeit in the execution of comprehensive plans for the safe passage of our children to maturity.
“Victims need justice for the loss and injuries of their loved ones.”
Vigorous awareness campaigns were being undertaken to educate communities about the need to protect the custom of ulwaluko.
He urged traditional leaders to continue to work tirelessly with monitoring teams to save initiates’ lives.
“We praise our monitoring teams, but our traditional leaders must also be on the frontline and help demarcate land suitable for the setting up of registered and recognised initiation schools, thus preventing the mushrooming of illegal schools.
“They are also regarded as custodians of the culture and custom.”
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