More than 600 boys and young men have reportedly died during traditional induction ceremonies over the past decade, according to the CRL Rights Commission
A South African rights commission has launched an investigation after 43 young men died during customary initiation rites this winter. During the season, these coming-of age rituals, including circumcision, are performed to mark the transition to adulthood.
Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, said the fatalities must not be treated as an accepted part of the practice.
Speaking at a media briefing alongside Deputy Chairperson Prince George Mahlangu, she said the commission would establish a committee in August to examine deaths and alleged abuses at initiation schools. Authorities have also recorded 75 hospitalizations, 180 rescues, 12 abductions and 40 arrests this season.
In response to the escalating concern, Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, who appeared alongside Deputy Chairperson Prince George Mahlangu, outlined the establishment of a Section Seven Committee, which is set to begin operations next month. According to Mahlangu, this committee will scrutinise the past decade, during which over 600 deaths have been reported in various provinces, highlighting a regression in certain areas regarding the safety of initiates.
“We intend to start the Section Seven Committee in August. We have already started the background work, and we have commissioners who have been asked to be part of the process. We want to be fully informed about what is happening, as some provinces have regressed,” Mahlangu stated.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva indicated that the introduction of the Customary Initiation Act 2 of 2021, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is crucial in this context, as it imposes serious penalties on those failing to ensure the safety of initiates, including potential imprisonment. She underlined the Act’s importance, stating: “There will be no holy cows in this process because one death is one too many. We cannot continue to witness these fatalities as if they are an accepted norm.”
Recently, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA) called for a police investigation into allegations that some initiation school principals instructed staff to deny doctors access to initiates. Furthermore, according to the latest figures, Mpumalanga leads with 18 deaths, followed by the Eastern Cape with 14, North West with four, while Gauteng and Free State have reported two deaths each.
When it comes to the duration of the investigative processes, Mahlangu stated: “We have taken a phased approach to these hearings to ensure that we can provide information that will assist us to mitigate these challenges, especially as we head into the December initiation season.
“We will be working with all the stakeholders, but our process will be robust as we want to ensure that we fully verify some of the reported incidents, including the fact that in some cases, medical practitioners were chased away.”
As the Section Seven Committee gears up for its work, Mahlangu reiterated the need for accountability, asserting that the upcoming initiation season must incorporate lessons learned from recent tragedies. “If we do not implement this Act fully, we would be failing our people,” he noted.
Edward Mafadza, CEO of the CRL Rights Commission, reaffirmed that insights from the recent Initiation Indaba will be instrumental in ensuring proper regulations for initiation schools and stakeholders.
“Since that initiation indaba, we have distributed resolutions to our stakeholders,” he assured. The committee aims to evaluate the compliance and effectiveness of these resolutions, ensuring that progress is made in the fight against unsafe initiation practices.
