Eastern Cape Cogta wants to prevent deaths this winter initiation season

The Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department (Cogta) in the Eastern Cape said that communities need to work together to prevent the deaths of initiates. This comes as the province marks the start of the winter circumcision season.

When does the winter initiation season start?

From Friday, 17 June, the winter initiation season is expected to start. Reports indicate that approximately 40 000 young men are expected to go through with the customary rite of passage.

The Eastern Cape tends to make yearly headlines at this time. This comes from botched traditional circumcisions that result in serious injuries and in many cases death.

MEC calls for communities to work with authorities to prevent deaths

Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha has made calls for traditional healers, initiation schools, parents and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to work together. Nqatha wants to ensure that initiates are safe and that all illegal initiation schools are reported to authorities.

Nqatha spoke about the abuse, refusal of water and mutilation of children and that these incidents need to be reported to the police.

“We want to appeal that in instances where kids have been abducted, have been circumcised illegally and have been abused, refused water and mutilated, parents must without any shadow of doubt run to the nearest police station and open cases against any perpetrators of illegal activities during this period,”

Nqatha said.

During the summer initiation season, EWN reported that 40 initiates died.

What causes kids to die during this season?

In 2016, the Eastern Cape Cogta reported the main causes of death during the winter initiation season. They are as follows:

• Excessive bleeding / Hypetomia;
• Dehydration;
• Assault (mainly in illegal schools);
• Negligence (lack of aftercare) and;
• Natural causes.

It also listed the OR Tambo District Municipality as a hotspot in the Eastern Cape.

Xhosa initiation school: 23 deaths recorded in the EC

Last year, it was reported that 2021’s Xhosa initiation school lost 23 lives in the Eastern Cape province, this is according to the government’s report on Thursday, 16 December. The fatalities were confirmed by an official statement from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The minister expressed regret and condolences to the families that lost their young men. The report said the 23 deaths of Xhosa initiations came from both registered and illegal sites around Eastern Cape province.

The summer of 2020 had only faced 14 deaths compared to 2021s 23 fatalities. Read the full story here.