Three initiates dead‚ parents told to play part to ensure safety

Eastern Cape cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa has called upon parents to take centre stage in ensuring that their sons are safe in initiation schools and must visit them daily.

Xasa said this while expressing concern that three initiates have already died during the current summer initiation season‚ which only started in earnest last week.

“This is a worrying factor and makes us all concerned‚ but we are pulling out all stops to ensure the thousands of initiates in initiation schools remain safe. We pray that no more deaths (happen) in the province. The rite of initiation does not kill anyone‚ but it is the negligence on handling initiates that kill. We appeal to all stakeholders to work together and ensure that nothing is denting the custom we are all proud of it‚’’ said Xasa yesterday.

The MEC said that‚ at this stage‚ it was not clear what the cause of the deaths were.

Xasa said that the deaths occurred in the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipal area‚ and in Linge in Komani and Tsomo‚ both in Chris Hani.

The summer initiation was launched on November 19. In the 2015 summer season‚ 46 initiates died in the Eastern Cape and 17 of those were in Chris Hani district.

– TMG Digital/Daily Dispatch