A man accused of illegally circumcising two boys to punish them for making off with some of his dagga crop made a brief court appearance in the Seymour magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
Lonwabo Rasta Zele, 35, of EmaBheleni village in Alice, is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two of pointing with a firearm, two of kidnapping and two of contravening the initiation practices law.
Zele was arrested on January 27. The state’s case is that the boys, aged 12 and 13, were kidnapped and their genitals mutilated by Zele, who accused the boys of stealing dagga from his garden.
The boys were allegedly taken from their homes in villages near Alice and driven to Seymour, where the alleged assaults took place.
The matter was postponed to Wednesday for a formal bail application.
Zele was held in custody until his next appearance.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Tshepo Ndalwaza said that Zele has elected to have Legal Aid SA representation.
Officials from the departments of co-operative governance & traditional affairs and health attended the court proceedings on Tuesday.
The unemployed mothers of the boys said they wanted to attend the court proceedings, but they had no money to travel from Alice to Seymour.
While Zele appeared in court in Seymour, the mothers were with their sons in Fort Beaufort Hospital.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch, they said the hospital was planning to discharge the boys on Thursday.
“But they are concerned that they were missing a lot from school on the days they have been spending in hospital.
“But we hope that they would soon catch up with other learners and that the school will assist them.
“They are much better,’’ said one of the mothers...