President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on traditional leaders to do more to put to an end the ‘unnecessary and avoidable’ deaths of initiates.
He told the house about his shock and devastation last year in December after 34 initiates died during the summer season in the Eastern Cape while scores were injured during the botched circumcisions.
Ramaphosa was addressing the annual official opening of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders at the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town.
“The challenges facing initiation should be decisively addressed. We cannot continue to have customary initiation being turned into a harmful practice. We need to do all in our powers as government, communities, traditional leaders, the National Initiation Oversight Committee, and provincial structures to put an end to these unnecessary and entirely avoidable deaths and injuries,” appealed Ramaphosa.
He urged the house to monitor and guide provinces and various local houses on the provisions of the Customary Initiation Act.
“We must live up to the slogan of Mabaye Baphila Babuye Baphila,” added Ramaphosa.
According to a report Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) more than 700 initiates have died since 2006, mostly in the Eastern Cape.
The CRL report highlighted that some of the causes of deaths were because of illegal initiation schools, dehydration, and murders among other things.
Ramaphosa said such incidents are destressing, especially to the families of the deceased.
“It is always saddening when we hear stories of how young boys go into initiation and come out as corpses.
This is a practice that you as traditional leaders need to take hold of and make sure that our young boys go to initiation alive and come out alive,” pleaded Ramaphosa.