Man Sexually Assaults Teen Initiate
OVER 28 initiates have died in the Eastern Cape since the start of the summer initiation season, and the number could rise.
The death toll has brought the number to 253 in the province in the past six years.
Among the deaths is an initiate who took his own life, another was shot and is in hospital, while another was wounded in a tavern.
An initiate living with disabilities was allegedly raped at an initiation school.
On Friday, 27 December, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa convened a meeting at Butterworth Town Hall where they set out their plans.
The most affected districts of the province include OR Tambo, Amathole, and Chris Hani, each recording seven deaths.
Nelson Mandela Metro, Alfred Nzo, and Joe Gqabi each recorded two deaths, with Buffalo City Metro recording one death.
The minister called for a two-year moratorium on traditional initiations. Hlabisa described the number of initiates’ deaths as shocking.
We may present to the President for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to ensure all those involved in the murder of the 253 initiates since 2019 are held accountable.
Hlabisa said dehydration has been identified as one of the contributing factors to the deaths. He stressed the importance of drinking water to avoid dehydration, which may have undesired consequences.
Man Sexually Assaults Teen Initiate
The government plans to discuss the province's crisis with the kings. The majesties must guide us and tell us what should be done and how to address the crisis. Criminality is creeping into initiation schools.
In a separate incident, an Eastern Cape man aged 39 was arrested for the alleged rape of an 18-year-old initiate.
Mawisa said circumstances surrounding the incident form part of the investigation.
“The suspect is neither a traditional surgeon nor a nurse. The 39-year-old suspect is due to appear in the Centane Magistrates Court on Monday, 30 December 2024, on a rape charge,” she said.
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Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso, the Chairman of the House of Traditional Leaders in the Eastern Cape, Nkosi Gwadiso, said the misconception of not drinking water had unintended consequences.
When initiates choose not to drink water, it unfairly implicates traditional nurses, who are responsible for their care, making it seem as though they're the ones denying initiates water.
