Concern grows with initiate death toll

TRADITIONAL leaders in the Eastern Cape have expressed concern about the alarming number of initiate deaths just three weeks into the season.

Already, 16 initiates have died in the province.

A recent case is that of an East London initiate who died from meningitis.

Buffalo City circumcision coordinator Mbulelo Mataya said the young initiate fell ill but his family believed he was being tormented by evil spirits and did not take him for medical help.

“[There is] a postmortem examination with results showing that the boy died of meningitis.

“What happened to that boy is bad. We could have saved him but the family wasted a lot of time by holding prayers instead of calling for the medical experts.” He died on Thursday. Another youth escaped unharmed after a group of initiates burned his hut while he and his traditional nurse ( ikhankatha) were still inside.

His only sin was getting much-needed medical help after his penis developed a severe bacterial infection.

The two made it out alive and were taken to an undisclosed location.

“We had to go and inject the initiate because his private parts were swollen due to an infection, so after someone told other initiates that we attended to the boy, they went there and set the hut alight,” said Mataya.

He added that health officials were receiving death threats from traditionalists and initiates who believe that government officials are diluting the ancient rite of passage by involving Western medicine.

“Currently we have cases of haemophilia, which is excessive bleeding.

“Even from the slightest scratch a person can bleed to death.

“Then there are also two cases that we have treated of bilharzia, which is caused by parasites getting into the urinary system and intestines. “It is a very serious disease.” Eastern Cape health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the Eastern Cape government was concerned about the rising death toll.

Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders’ chairman Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima said they were worried about the rising number of initiate deaths.

“One death is too many and the death of so many initiates is heartbreaking.

“Parents must make sure that they visit their sons every day.”

Cooperative governance and traditional affairs spokesman Mamnkeli Ngam said leading the death toll was Chris Hani district with five, followed by O R Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts with four each.

“The situation is very bad. The dominant problems are dehydration, gangrene and septicaemia, but we are still waiting for postmortems.

“We call for parents to visit initiation schools 24/7 and ensure nothing unbecoming is done to their sons,” said Ngam.

Ngam also said they were equally disturbed about the incident in Duncan Village in East London where an initiate’s hut was torched.

O R Tambo’s traditional initiation district forum chairman, Chief Gcobani Tyali, said: “Illegal initiation schools and the high number of under-age initiates continue to be a challenge.

“The youngest initiate is a 12-yearold from KwaZaka in Ngqeleni.

“According to the law, a boy may not be younger than 18 years to undergo the rite.”