Makhaya Komisa (COGTA)
Bogus initiation schools are at the forefront of 20 initiate deaths in the Eastern Cape so far this summer initiation season
That is the word from Zolani Mkiva, Contralesa's General Secretary, who says unregulated initiation schools with old traditional beliefs, cost children their lives for a "quick buck."
With most of the initiates dying due to dehydration, Mkiva reveals that initiates were told not to drink water.
He says bogus initiation schools “think that they are sticking to old tradition, that water is not consumed, which is untrue, [as] water is consumed, [just] under strict conditions.”
The Secretary General says banning a child from drinking water for three weeks is a death sentence, and calls for every bogus traditional surgeon to be charged with murder, should they be found guilty.
While some of the 20 initiates’ deaths were caused by underlying health comorbidities, and diabetes, Mkiva says health checks over a six-month period, prior to going to initiation school, can help lower initiate death rates.
“The regulation is very clear, that there should be about three examinations prior to children crossing over,” he says, recommending that a public facility be visited for a health examination, over an elongated period to detect any possible risks.
“The process of preparation is not just a quick and short consultation medically,” he warns.
