CRL TO PROBE INITIATE DEATHS
Justice sought for 557 casualties
DESPITE facing a cash crunch, the religious and cultural commission is now targeting government institutions, traditional leaders and law enforcement agencies for answers into the deaths of more than 500 initiates.
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL), will from next month conduct nationwide hearings into the troublesome traditional circumcision practice.
CRL’s statistics show that 557 initiates have died since 2006 and 260 arrests were made.
“But when we ask the law enforcement officials if we can go to jail to see those people that have been sentenced they tell us that nobody is being jailed,” said CRL’s chairwoman Thoko MkhwanaziXaluva yesterday at the launch of the hearings at the commission’s offices in Johannesburg.
“How does it happen that people that are killing our youth are not serving time in jail?”
The hearings will start in Gauteng next month, followed by Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State and Limpopo.
The commission has already issued summons to departments such as health, education, justice, cooperative governance and traditional affairs and the house of traditional leaders among others.
Those who fail to appear before the commission will be liable to a fine or a year in prison. The hearings will investigate the causes of deaths and botched circumcisions.
It will also establish the reliability of statistics, check if postmortem and inquests are conducted on those who die and also if those who have been amputated are getting any government and psychosocial support.
The findings and recommendations will be taken to appropriate state organs and to the cabinet.
“We want people to account and take responsibility. We can’t keep saying we are solving this tragedy but we don’t act. Most of us are keeping quiet about this but the numbers (of deaths) are telling us that there is a problem and no plan,” she said.
Last year the commission championed the suspension of circumcision practice in Sedibeng municipality, south of Johannesburg, after it received complaints about abduction of boys and extortion of their families by people who run illegal schools in the area.
The commission started its work amid huge publicity last year, with hearings on unscrupulous conducts of some of religious leaders.
The hearings will be chaired by a seven-member committee comprising five women and two men.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said this was not in anyway to undermine men but to show that the deaths of young boys affected everyone.
“When there is death, women have critical role to play to make sure that things are done efficiently,” she said.
However, Mpumalanga House of Traditional Leaders chairperson Chief Mathibela Mokoena differed
“How come people that kill our youths are not in jail?
although he accepted the importance of the investigations.
“While it is their (CRL) mandate to protect our cultures, it becomes a huge problem when someone (a woman) who has not gone through traditional circumcision starts asking questions about the process ...”
“We won’t accept that in my province although we will attend these hearings. A woman cannot ask a traditionally circumcised man about circumcision,” said Mokoena.
Meanwhile, CRL revealed it was facing a financial crisis due to under-funding. They received R38.5million from government for the 2016/2017 financial year. An Estimate of National Expenditure 2016/2017 document shows that the CRL is the least funded Chapter 9 institution.
Topping the list is SA Local Government Association with R567.8million and Public Protector (R263m).