Government backtracks on promise to shut down initiation school where 8-year-old died

The Limpopo initiation school where an eight-year-old boy died this week is still operating, despite promises by government to shut it down. 

The initiate, Thabang Sedutla of Makhurupetsa Village was enrolled at a Sepatake Koma school in the Modjadjiskloof area of Bolobedu with the consent of his parents. He supposedly developed breathing complications and died a few days later at the Kgapane Hospital.

Soon after his death, the Limpopo department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs announced its plan to shut down the school. 

Departmental MEC, Basikop Makamu said the school had contravened Section 12 (1) of the Limpopo Initiation School Act of 2016. 

The MEC said the Act decreed that no boy below the age of 12 may be admitted to an initiation school.

Also Read: EC initiation schools to be monitored after 23 initiates die

Makamu, who visited the family on Friday, further said the Act also required a parent to sign a consent form with the Koma school administrators for permitting their children to enroll with the school. This, he said, served as proof that the child was not abducted or forced to go to the school without parents’ permission.

Backtrack on promise to shut down school

“We have moved swiftly to close down the initiation school and we have immediately suspended the caregivers and surgeons, who were operating there. This has unfortunately tarnished our targets of no death in our schools this season,” said Makamu on hearing about the boy’s passing. 

The department and the house of traditional leaders, however, said yesterday they have only decided to stop further admission of initiates at the school. 

“We will not close the school completely. The reason is that there is not any other school nearby. We would want to transfer them (initiates) to other schools in the vicinity, but in light of no school around, we have decided to keep them there, stop more enrolments and allow the boys to finish their term for the manhood passage. 

“This means the school will continue to operate, but under strict scrutiny. We are doing this in an effort to show respect to the family and to this community. We are, however, watching it like a hawk. The bottom line should always remain that no Koma will be allowed to admit children below the age of 12,” Makamu told journalists on Friday. 

According to the department, there are currently 11 schools operating under Letaba, and 731 in the whole province, while 29 of them were found to be illegal, operating in the Sekhukhune region of Limpopo. 

“We are planning to close them down and we are working hand in glove with the police. We will not tolerate anyone who ostensibly break the law at the expense of the innocent lives of our children,” said Makamu. 

Mother wants justice

In an exclusive interview with The Citizen this week, the bereaved family said it had planned to lay to rest the remains of the dead boy this Sunday.

Also Read: Heartbroken mom wants justice after eight-year-old son dies at initiation school

The family had earlier demanded that the owner of the school to take full responsibility of funeral arrangements. They argued that although the boy had had their consent to enroll with the school, the school principal, the caregivers and the owner, whom it claimed knew the Act better, should have done things by the book and refused to admit the boy because he was underage.

The family further blamed the owner of the school for “concealing” the fact that their son was dead. 

“They only told me that my boy was sick and that he was later admitted at the hospital. I had to eavesdrop from neighbours and passersby, talking about his passing when I had no idea he is gone. I want them to come to me and tell me why did they treat me like a common criminal or a stranger,” sobbed the boy’s mother, Unice. 

Makamu said his department has agreed in principle with the Greater Letaba municipality to help with all funeral arrangements.

Before dusk after the visit to the family on Friday, graders had started regraveling the roads lelading to their home, and water tanker trucks had already begun delivering water. 

news@citizen.co.za