EASTERN CAPE: Another circumcision death

The New Age Online (South Africa)
June 19, 2014

Contralesa to monitor initiation schools

by Sithandiwe Velaphi
Traditional leaders and health officials in the Eastern Cape will monitor initiation schools daily in an effort to stop the deaths of initiates.

The decision, announced yesterday, followed the death of an initiate in Mqanduli a week ago.

The death has left Eastern Cape traditional leaders worried following their immense campaigns with which they pledged for zero deaths of initiates this winter.

A 16-year-old initiate died at Upper Ngqwarha village in Mqanduli.

It is not yet clear how the initiate died but a botched circumcision has not been ruled out.

In the past four days, hundreds of boys in the Eastern Cape have gone to circumcision schools in line with their culture.

Traditional leaders will launch the start of the initiation season in Mthatha on Friday.

The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa), which vowed for zero deaths, said the death of the Mqanduli initiate was cause for concern.

“This means our aim has been dashed already. This is worrying us,” Contralesa general secretary chief Xolile Ndevu said.

“But we are not going to fold our arms. “We will play our part in making sure that lives of our boys are saved.”
...

A total of 82 boys form the Eastern Cape died between June and December last year.

A former Eastern Cape doctor, Dingeman Rijken, who worked at Holy Cross Hospital in Flagstaff, said only the centralisation of the ritual could save lives. [...or leaving out the genital cutting...]
“The rest of their (traditional leaders’) plan is similar to those of previous years.

“It is therefore highly unlikely that this season will be death-free,” Rijken said.

PRETORIA: Two initiates die, murder charge opened

The New Age Online
June 17, 2014

Two initiates lose lives

by France Nyaka
Two dockets of murder will be sent to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) by police authorities following the deaths of initiates in the province.

Police said two boys, whose names have not been released, lost their lives a few days ago due to circumcision complications at an initiation school in Verena outside Kwaggafotein.

The school is allegedly headed by a female principal “surgeon” (known as ingcibi in the Nguni languages), even though women are traditionally barred from involvement in initiation schools.
The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) in the province has called for urgent police investigation because “not a single woman has the authority to run an initiation school for men in the province”.

And while some sources have claimed that there have in fact been three initiation-related deaths in the province, police have denied this and said that only two boys lost their lives.
...

But sources told The New Age that the female school owner was granted authority to conduct circumcisions by the Mgibe-Mabena Traditional Authority, which is under the principal command of Ndebele monarch Makhosonke II.

The king’s spokesperson, prince Jimmy Mabena, referred all enquiries to the traditional authority’s chairperson, prince Daniel Mabena, who could not be reached for comment.

Last year, almost 30 Ndebele initiates died as a result of dehydration, excessive bleeding and botched circumcisions.

A few days ago, the NPA returned the dockets to the police and recommended that those involved be charged in the courts of their respective areas, such as KwaMhlanga, Middelburg, Verena and Belfast.