Family devastated by initiate’s death
THE family of an 18-year-old initiate who died on Saturday in Khayelitsha outside Mdantsane is devastated by his passing.
Sinovuyo Pendu, a Grade 10 pupil at Mzamo High School, died a few minutes after his umojiso, the celebration of the first eight days of the ritual.
His distraught father, Mabhuti Tole, said while they did not suspect any foul play, they were waiting for the postmortem results to determine the cause of death.
“We know both the surgeon and nurse. I visited him every day since his first day there. On Friday evening he complained of having cramps and pain in his legs,” Tole said.
To help his son with the cramps, Tole approached a local traditional healer for medicine. “He gave me traditional medicine to give to him . . . I slept in his hut that evening.”
He said he left his son in good health that Saturday morning.
“I left him to buy the sheep that we were going to use for umojiso.
“When I came back with the sheep I showed it to him. He gave me a hug and said he appreciated everything we are doing for him as he enters manhood.
“We slaughtered the sheep and he also ate and I left him there with his nurse, two initiates and his uncle after we were done eating.
“As I got home I received a call from his uncle to get back to the initiation camp. When I got there he had already died,” said Tole.
The men reported the matter to the Nyibiba police station.
“His uncle told me that he just became weak and when they tried to pick him up he died.
“He loved drawing and wanted to be an artist. He was also a good soccer player. It is a painful moment for us, he was our only son,” the father said. “He loved his church. In 2015 he said he would be ready to go to the bush this year because he wanted to wait until he was 18.”
Pendu will be buried on July 7, the same day on which he would have celebrated his homecoming, umgidi.
Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi said an inquest docket had been opened.
Six initiates have now died since the start of the winter season just over a week ago.