BUSHBUCKRIDGE – An irate father of a 12-year-old boy whose penis were seriously injured after he had sneaked into a local initiation school, wants justice.
According to Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena, the chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, the initiation school broke the law by circumcising the child without the consent of his parents.
The father explained that his son slipped into the school without his permission last month.
“My boy was born with a problem concerning his manhood. He does not urinate like a normal person does, hence I tried to prevent him from being circumcised in a traditional way,” he said.
The father said a day after realising that his son had gone to join local initiates in the mountains, he called the owner of the initiation school to release his son.
He even went to the ingoma school accompanied by the local police, but the owner allegedly refused to release his son, telling them that he was already at an advanced stage of the initiation process.
A few days after returning from the school the boy’s penis became badly swollen and he was admitted to Matikwane Hospital.
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“My son has a serious infection of his manhood. What pains my heart the most is that I warned the school owner not to circumcise my boy because he has had problems since birth, but he wouldn’t listen to me,” said the father. “I am now running to the hospital alone. I need the initiation school owner to fund medical fees so we can take my son to private hospitals,” he said.
The father added that he laid criminal charges at Calcutta Police Station.
He also wanted the chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders to take action as the owner of the initiation school failed to follow the rules and regulations of the Ingoma Act.
Sgt Gerald Sedibe, spokesperson for the provincial police, confirmed that a case was opened at Calcutta.
“It has been taken to the senior prosecutor for a decision to be taken. Only then we will take action,” he said.
Mokoena confirmed his knowledge of the matter.
“The father of the boy reported the matter to me and we agreed that there was an oversight from the owner of the school. He did not follow proper procedures that were necessary. The Mpumalanga Ingoma Act Section 4 prevents initiation schools from performing any rituals without the consent of the initiate’s parents or guardians,” he said.
Mokoena added that the school was legally accredited.
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