Govt vows to curb deaths at initiation schools
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Zweli Mkhize has vowed to intensify the recent upsurge in deaths at initiation schools around the country.
The country has seen a spike in the deaths of initiates during the summer season of the traditional initiation school.
A total of 34 initiates have died, of which 20 were recorded in the Eastern Cape.
The department’s Musi Zondi says one of the issues that need to be checked is the qualifications of the surgeons.
“The most important part is are these initiation schools qualified, the people who do the work that they are doing qualified that kind of quality check is one of the things that need to verify and make sure young people are not set to their early deaths because of people who are not qualified.”
Several people have been arrested in the Eastern Cape in connection with the running of illegal initiation schools.
Zondi says traditional leaders can identify who the qualified surgeons are and who of them are just operating for money.
Mkhize has promised to work hand-in-hand with traditional leaders to curb the deaths at the schools.