Court sentences four men for initiate’s death at illegal Eastern Cape initiation school

The deaths of initiates in the hands of bogus traditional surgeons and nurses have reached epidemic proportions.

This is why Mbizana Regional Court Senior Public Prosecutor, Nkululeko Mathenjwa, argued for an appropriate sentence in the case of four men who were sentenced for offences related to traditional circumcision.

Four men were sentenced last week to sentences ranging from four to 15 years for their roles in the death of a 17-year-old initiate Mvuyisi Dingile in November 2023.

Four sentenced for initiate’s death

Non-registered traditional surgeon, Yongama Mdludla, 21, was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to contravening the Customary Initiation Act 02 of 2021 and culpable homicide. His accomplices, Yamkela Bentswana, 27, and Mihlali Khiphi, 24, were sentenced to eight years.

According to National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, Mdludla was the principal of a non-registered initiation school in Mfuleni Location in the district of Mbizana.

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Mdludla accepted six boys without medical certificates, as required by the act, including the deceased.

After the initiates were circumcised by the non-registered traditional surgeon, Bentswana and Khiphi then came to assist Mdludla with looking after the initiates.

“The deceased started to hallucinate at night. All three accused started to assault him with hands and sticks until he died at the initiation school. The cause of death, according to the postmortem, was severe assault,” Tyali said.

Registered traditional surgeon also sentenced

A day before the three men were sentenced, the Mbizana Regional Court sentenced Luthando Madikizela, 33, to eight years, four of which were suspended for four years, for the same contravention of the Customary Initiation Act 02 of 2021.

“Madikizela also pleaded guilty, accepting that as a registered traditional surgeon he was approached by the principal of an illegal initiation school, Mdudla, who requested him to circumcise four underaged boys, and he agreed and proceeded to circumcise the young boys,” Tyali said.

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The Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, commended all involved in the successful prosecution, adding that the sentences were a clear indication that the courts are taking traditional circumcision-related cases seriously.