The OR Tambo District has recorded another death of an
initiate whilst four others were taken away from an initiation school for
medical attention.
According to police spokesperson, Captain Welile
Matyolo, the latest incident occurred at Zincukuthwini locality in Ngqeleni
under the Nyandeni Local Municipality yesterday, December 5, at about 09:00.
“It is alleged that a 35-year-old suspect collected
village boys and circumcised them. The bogus surgeon is known by the community
and is not a qualified and unregistered traditional surgeon.”
“The suspect has been arrested and will appear in
court soon for contravening Customary Initiation Act,” Matyolo said.
The cause of the death of the initiate is still
unknown pending an outcome of a postmortem.
The latest death of an initiate in the OR Tambo
District follows another of a 20-year-old initiate which occurred at another
illegal initiation in Lusikisiki on November 23.
According to Maytolo, the illegal initiation school
where the Lusikisiki initiate died had initially been destroyed to close it
down, but the suspect reopened it.
In a separate incident, two initiates and their older
brother were shot and killed at an initiation school in Ngqamakwe in the early
hours of yesterday morning, November 5, while their 22-year-old brother
sustained gunshot wounds to his upper body and was rushed to hospital.
“The communities are urged once more to take care of
their sons during the initiation period so as to avoid illegal circumcision of
their children,” concluded Matyolo.
