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A Parliamentary Committee has called for more vigilance from those who are responsible for initiates undergoing the traditional circumcision rites.
The appeal followed the deaths of three initiates in East London on Tuesday after their hut caught alight.
The Provincial Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs was quoted as saying that the initiates were 17 years old.
Committee chairperson and former Eastern Cape MEC, Fikile Xasa, said he understands that “this is the first incident in which initiates have died in this year’s Winter initiation season."
“The committee has in the past repeatedly emphasised how important it is that all those responsible for the lives of initiates adhere to the regulations set out in the Customary Initiation Act, which requires those tasked with the responsibility of looking after initiates to be vigilant,” Xasa said.
Meanwhile, the Portfolio Committee said it was aware that the Minister of COGTA, Thembi Nkadimeng, will on Friday launch the National Initiation Oversight Committee (NIOC) awareness campaign on the Customary Initiation Act.
“The committee hopes that the launch of this campaign will deter behavior and practices that lead to the loss of the lives of initiates,” Xasa added.
