South Africa rescues at least 20 boys from bogus initiation schools
Authorities say more than 250 initiates have died at so-called initiation schools in the last six years.
South Africa’s Sedibeng Committee of Initiation Schools says it has rescued more than 20 boys from bogus initiation schools around the Vaal and Westonaria.
The committee says the rescue mission, which began on Friday and included police, came after several families sought help after their sons disappeared.
This follows the opening of the initiation school season last week, state broadcaster SABC reports.
Committee Chairperson Radikeledi Letuma said on Sunday, it has rescued boys between the ages of 13 and 15 and shut down several illegal initiation schools in the Louisrus and Rietkuil areas.
The South African government says it officially recognises male initiation ceremonies as a cultural practice that marks the transformation of young boys to adulthood, calling it “a profound rite of passage.”
Unqualified surgeons
It is deeply embedded in the fabric of South African society, reflecting important ancestral ties, values, and cultural identity.
However, authorities have warned that some initiation schools are run by unqualified traditional surgeons, "not adhering to stringent quality health standards during circumcision, which invariably leads to initiates either dying or left permanently disfigured."
Some of the families whose children were taken to the initiation schools said on Sunday they cannot afford the initiation process, and their children were allegedly taken to the initiation schools against their will.
The Customary Act of 2021 in the country does not allow anyone under the age of 16 to attend initiation school.
The Sedibeng Committee of Initiation School says it would continue cracking down on illegal initiation schools during this time, when the initiation season is in full swing.