JOHANNESBURG: Minister blames 34 circumcision deaths on "greed"

Blame anything but circumcision

S. African circumcision 'hijacked': minister

by Aaron Motsoaledi


Cape Town: South Africa's health minister says traditional male circumcision rituals have been "hijacked" by people looking to make money from the rite of passage, fuelling a spike in deaths of young males.

Police have reported that 34 young men have died in recent weeks in two provinces during rituals to mark the passage into manhood at so-called initiation schools in the bush.

"Over the years, this century-old culture has been slowly corrupted and eroded to give way to commercial interests," minister Aaron Motsoaledi told lawmakers in a debate called on the deaths.

"Then mutilations and deaths started rising year by year until we are at this point", which he said was reaching crisis proportions. Advertisement

South African boys from ethnic Xhosa, Sotho and Ndebele groups typically spend around a month in secluded bush or mountains areas for their initiation.

This includes the circumcision carried out by traditional surgeons -- sometimes using unsterilised instruments or lacking in technique -- as well as lessons on masculine courage and discipline.

Botched circumcisions, leading to penis amputations and deaths are an annual tragedy in South Africa. However the latest deaths, with 28 in one province alone, have prompted fresh outrage and calls for action.

"We are mostly dealing with individuals who have decided to hijack certain African cultures to amass wealth for themselves, make huge amounts of money in as short a time as possible hiding under the cloak of culture and tradition," said Mr Motsoaledi.

A health ministry spokesman could not give details on the amounts charged other than "there's a lot of money involved".

"Those who flouted these laws must be brought to book and arrested without fear and favour regardless of their social, cultural and traditional standing," the minister told lawmakers.

Earlier story

JOHANNESBURG: Circumcisors use one blade, risk HIV

IOL News
May 27, 2013

Cutting to truth about circumcision

by Lebogna Seale

Johannesburg - Inexperienced and bogus traditional surgeons are using a single razor blade to circumcise several initiates - exposing them to life-threatening diseases, including HIV/Aids.

This is just one of the shocking findings of an investigation by The Star into the deaths of at least 28 initiates in Mpumalanga since the start of the circumcision season on May 7.

Other harrowing stories that have emerged include those of botched circumcisions and drunk monitors.

The Mpumalanga deaths, which have drawn condemnation from around the country, occurred in the Nkangala district towns of Siyabuswa, KwaMhlanga, Verena, Kwaggafontein, Middelburg, Bethal and Evander.

The region falls under King Mabhoko III of the Ndebele people. At least six more initiates have died in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune district.

At a media briefing in KwaMhlanga on Friday, MEC for Health Candith Mashego-Dlamini said post-mortem results had shown the initiates died of haemorrhage, hypothermia and unnatural causes.

She laid the blame squarely on about 30 unauthorised traditional leaders.

...

Circumcision is part of ingoma, a ritual that boys go through to reach manhood.

... the circumcision rituals ... will end on July 7.

...

“There are many individuals who are not traditional surgeons or traditional doctors going about circumcising these boys,” said one doctor.

“They are just ordinary people whose fathers used to be well-known traditional surgeons. They think it (traditional surgery) is a birthright. It’s not.

“There are those among them who use one razor (to circumcise many boys). They are just after money. ...

Two medical personnel corroborated claims of botched circumcisions saying these were as a result of unauthorised traditional surgeons performing them under pressure of tight deadlines.... the doctor said he could see about 150 within one-and-a-half hours, on average.

The Star understands the issues of workload and deadlines was among those discussed at Friday’s meeting.

Ikosi Willem “VW” Mahlangu, the leader of the Ndzundza Fene Traditional Council ... [said "]I communicate with the amakhosana and they tell me that everything is fine.

“I only realised after the deaths that all is not right.”

He added that alcohol abuse among some parents and amakhosana could also be a contributing factor.

...

Ingoma Forum chairman Musa Thugwana confirmed that botched circumcisions were among the factors responsible for the fatalities.

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Earlier story

SOUTH AFRICA: 27 die from circumcision

No, circumcision is to blame.


AFP
May 21, 2013

Local leader blames negligence in S. Africa circumcision deaths

JOHANNESBURG — Negligence is to blame for some of the 27 deaths of young males who died while undergoing ritual circumcision, a local traditional leader said Tuesday.

The death toll during the procedures -- part of traditional rites of passage into manhood -- on Friday climbed to 27, police said.

South African police last week said they had launched a series of murder inquiries into the matter and President Jacob Zuma has called on them to move faster in their investigation and arrest the culprits.

The latest four deaths occurred on Friday in the northeastern Mpumalanga province.

"We have proven that there was some negligence," Kgoshi Mathibela Mokoena, head of the traditional leaders in the provincial parliament told AFP.

He said preliminary findings showed that some of the 30,000 males currently undergoing the circumcision rites, had developed complications but were not administered proper after-care after they were left in the hands of inexperienced young men.

After conducting the procedures, some of the circumcisers left and returned to the secluded bushy sites, hours later, some of them drunk.

Other people suffered from dehydration as it was established some of the 200 odd sites dotted across the province lacked clean drinking water.

Despite the escalating death toll, police are yet to make arrests almost two weeks after the first death occurred on May 8.

"There is a huge amount of investigation, it's not a question of arresting but doing the right things during the investigation," said police spokesman Leonard Hlathi, dismissing fears some of the perpetrators may flee.

Police have so far launched series of murder inquests into the deaths of the boys and young men aged between 13 and 20 years, but Zuma said they were not acting fast enough.

"While we welcome action taken by police so far in opening murder dockets, we wish to urge them to ensure swift justice for the families and that those responsible for the deaths are brought to book without delay", he said in a statement.

The country is "outraged at this massive and unnecessary loss of young life at the hands of those who are supposed to nurture and protect them," said the president.

Ritual circumcision is common among South Africa's ethnic Xhosa, Sotho and Ndebele ethnic groups.

Deaths at the so-called initiation schools in South Africa are common, with several hundred cases recorded in recent years due to bleeding and infections.

Boys spend around a month in secluded bush or mountains sites for the sessions that also include lessons on the virtues of masculine courage and discipline.

SOUTH AFRICA: 23 die from circumcision

Herald Sun
May 17, 2013

Ritual circumcision kills 23 in S Africa

SOUTH African police said they had launched a series of murder inquiries after 23 males died while undergoing circumcision during traditional rites of passage into manhood.

The 23 - aged between 13 and 21 - died in various places across the country's northeastern Mpumalanga province over the course of a week.

"We have opened 22 cases of murder and one of inquest," regional police spokesman Leonard Hlathi told AFP.

One of the deaths was labelled an inquest because the boy reportedly had an existing health condition.

There have been no arrests yet as police compile statements and await post-mortem results.

Ritual circumcision is common among South Africa's ethnic Xhosa, Sotho and Ndebele ethnic groups.

Deaths at so-called initiation schools in South Africa are common, with several hundred cases recorded in recent years due to bleeding and infections.

Boys spend around a month in secluded bush or mountains areas for the sessions that also include lessons on the virtues of masculine courage and discipline.

There are usually two circumcision seasons - in winter during the months of May through July and in summer between November and December.

Government and the ruling African National Congress Party have expressed concern at the deaths which have nonetheless sparked little public outrage.

Government spokeswoman Phumla Williams called on the initiation schools "to ensure that precautionary health measures are exercised during this period to minimise illnesses and death".

Minister in The Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane said he was saddened by the loss of young lives.

The "loss of several young lives in Mpumalanga and elsewhere in the country is regrettable," Chabane said this week.

Earlier story