South Africa
Committee calls for meeting with leaders to curb initiate deaths─── 13:12 Sat, 21 Dec 2019
Parliament's co-operative governance and traditional affairs committee wants to meet with the congress of traditional leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) to carve ways to curb initiation-related deaths.
More than 20 boys at various initiation schools in the Eastern Cape have died this summer season.
The deaths are mainly attributed to dehydration.
The committee has now invited Contralesa to parliament in the new year to map the way forward.
The committee is also called for an investigation into the deaths of these initiates.
Committee chairperson, Faith Muthambi said, “These are future leaders that we are talking about. These are children who had hopes of what was going to become of them. It is sad. They went there with pride, wanting to enhance their tradition, wanting to become a man. Can you imagine the trauma the families are facing?”
