MBOMBELA – The province has over the years recorded the highest death rate among young boys at initiation schools and with the Ingoma season underway, the chairperson of the house of traditional leaders, Kgoshi Mathipha Lameck Mokoena has issued a stern warning against bogus schools.
Mokoena also lashed out at legitimate schools that were not following the right channels when conducting this ceremony, which he termed a “sacred tradition”.
“We have lost too many lives and we can no longer afford to go that route again. I want to send a clear message to all those illegal initiation schools that they must not go anywhere near our boys. Equally so, I would also like to warn the other schools in the province not to treat our boys and this sacred culture as their ATM. Those that have licences must at all times follow the right, safe and healthy procedures to ensure that our boys return home as healthy men.
“We are going to take tough and drastic measures against offenders as we are not going to tolerate any more deaths on our watch,” he warned.
Mokoena, who has been very vocal against bogus initiation schools, said they would work with the police to ensure that they arrested and prosecuted all offenders.
He also appealed to communities to be cautious when taking their children to these schools.
“We would like to appeal to communities to report schools that kidnap or abduct our children to attend their services, because we believe that this culture should be voluntary by parents and children. No one has the right to force our children or parents to undergo this tradition,” Mokoena further said.
Last year, the premier Mr David Mabuza signed into law the Mpumalanga Ingoma Act, which regulates the schools.
During her budget speech, the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Ms Refilwe Mtshweni appealed to traditional leaders in the province to monitor the schools to make sure that those who practised this tradition, comply with the Act.
“We also appeal to parents, to check first if the school owners are permitted to operate and that their children are in good and healthy condition to undergo the initiation process. “We will also be monitoring schools to ensure that boys younger than
16 years of age are not recruited to participate,” said Mtshweni.
