This weekend, while thousands of close to 30000 Eastern Cape initiates, who underwent the custom of ulwaluko were graduating and going home healthy, one more family went into mourning.
The 19th initiate died in the province in three weeks.
Olihle Njima of Mbhongweni village in EmaXesibeni died of septicaemia at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital on Thursday.
Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders chairman Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana and cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) spokesman Mamkeli Ngam said the tens of thousands of initiates who came back home healthy did not make up for the loss of life – even one, let alone 19.Ngam said Njima died of “sceptic circumcision and concussion”.
“This was the third initiate to die in the Alfred Nzo district following two others who died in Mbizana in the first week of the 2018 winter season,” said Ngam.
The toll in the OR Tambo district remains the worst in the Eastern Cape in winter as 13 of the 19 initiates who lost their lives were from the district with most – 11 – from Nyandeni (Libode and Ngqeleni).
In last year’s winter season, 14 initiates died, up from 2016’s 11 victims.
In the 2015 winter initiation, the OR Tambo district accounted for 19 deaths in a provincial toll of 28.
The 28 deaths were nine fewer than the 37 who lost their lives in the 2014 winter season.
Nonkonyana said he was disappointed by the large number of initiates who had died this year, and especially that some of the illegal activities were done by some traditional leaders, who flouted the province’s law regulating traditional initiation.
“We found that some of the traditional leaders have blood on their hands because they let underage boys be circumcised illegally and even defended some bogus traditional surgeons.
“We are very sad by the large number of initiates who have died – 19 is a huge number when we did not want a single death. We have learnt that some traditional leaders were not assisting in the move to curb initiation deaths.
“As custodians of culture, traditional leaders are supposed to protect our customs from any illegal interference like commercialisation and killing of initiates. Instead we found some traditional leaders actually promoting illegal practices,” said Nonkonyana.
He said the traditional leader and his wife issuing fraudulent circumcision documents allowing boys as young as 15 to undergo the rite would not only be dealt with in a criminal court but steps would be taken against them by traditional leaders and the government.
“He will be summoned before the monarch of Western Mpondoland, King Ndamase Ndamase. We cannot have such a leader in our fold. He should be removed from his position,” said Nonkonyana.
Ngam said traditional initiation was a societal matter and should be treated as such.
“We do not know why political organisations, including the ANC, are doing nothing to assist.
“Yes, we do say that the custom should not be politicised, but political leaders should also understand the boys who are dying were their potential members or their parents always vote for them. So political parties also play a role and should not only think about votes.
“We call everyone, political parties and churches and NGOs, to assist in addressing this crisis,” said Ngam...