Traditional surgeons, nurses held

THREE traditional surgeons (iingcibi) and seven traditional nurses (amakhankatha) were arrested at the weekend for allegedly circumcising underage boys.

Mthatha police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said one of the surgeons was arrested in the Tina Falls area near Qumbu and the other two in Ngqeleni on Saturday following a raid on illegal initiation schools.

The suspects are aged between 18 and 20.

Four traditional nurses, aged between 17 and 18, were also arrested in Tina Falls and three were arrested in Ngqeleni.

“They were charged with circumcising underage young boys as the majority of them were not older than 16,” Fatyela said.

“The new Customary Male Initiation Practice Act prohibits children under 18 from undergoing initiation.”

He said the suspects would appear in court in Ngqeleni and Qumbu today on charges of contravening the circumcision act.

Fatyela urged communities to work with the police and traditional leaders in their areas to root out the problem.

The news comes less than three weeks after Traditional Affairs MEC Fikile Xasa crisscrossed the province to inform communities and young boys about the dangers of illegal circumcision prior to the start of the winter initiation season.