The Govan Mbeki traditional leaders are concerned about the death of four initiates whose bodies were found next to burning tyres at Goedehoop Farm near Leandra on July 14.
Chief Jan Mahlangu said this was something traditional leaders tried to avoid every winter when parents flocked to their offices to complain about their children who went to initiation schools without their consent.
“We were unaware that there was an initiation school in Leandra until we heard about the boys who were found dead,” Mahlangu said.
The leaders questioned if this was a legal school.
“If it is not, the police must arrest all those involved because it constitutes a crime,” he said.
Mahlangu said at the start of every winter, the traditional leaders and the police drove up and down to look for missing children who went to initiation schools without their parents’ knowledge.
“We also heard there are people who turned the initiation school into a money-making business,” said Mahlangu.
He said the traditional leaders would discuss the deaths of the four initiates at a meeting this month.
“We need to act before it is too late.”
Chief Isaac Mahlangu said the deaths were the first shocking incident in the area in the history of the traditional leaders in GMM.
He said they worked hand-in-hand with the communities around the municipality to stop the illegal initiation schools.
“We wish the police could complete their investigation and arrest the perpetrators. This is an embarrassment to our tradition and culture. We don’t send children to die at the initiation schools. We send them to go on the path of manhood,” said Isaac.
Some community organisations have called for SA to unite because boys continue to die at the initiation schools.
ALSO READ: Four initiates found dead on Leandra farm
The South African Man’s Forum was dismayed at the licensed butchering of boys every winter at traditional initiation schools.
They said in a statement the organisation was committed to addressing the plight of men and boys.
The organisation said their hearts were bleeding, just like the families who lost 17 innocent boys in the Eastern Cape this winter.
“What’s worse, these children die unnecessarily from preventable causes. For instance, we are told that the first three of these boys, two cousins and their best friend, burnt to death in their initiation hut in Mdantsane, Buffalo City, on June 20.
“Many boys die this way every year, and all of us as a society become accomplices to murder by doing nothing.
“In most instances, the young lads die because of dehydration due to being deprived of water by their caregivers or traditional nurses (amakhankatha/izingcibi). This is due to the misconception that those who drink water take longer to heal from their wounds,” read the statement.
In the meantime, the Leandra police are investigating the deaths of the four boys who died on July 14.
ALSO READ: Parolees in Standerton arrested after found in possession of suspected stolen items
According to the Leandra police spokesperson, Constable Nontobeko Ngubeni, a community member, who is also part of the initiation school, alerted the police.
The SAPS found four of the 11 initiates covered with blankets and lying on the grass near the burning tyres.
Ngubeni said they had bruises on their heads and bodies.
According to the person who alerted the police, he woke up that morning and noticed four initiates moving up and down.
He was surprised that their blankets were wet and they shook with cold. He told the young men to burn a tyre outside their shelter to warm themselves, and they took the advice.
Ngubeni said the man claimed that, after about an hour, he noticed the boys not moving. He then opened their blankets to check on them, but they looked asleep.
Ngubeni said all the role players were called to the scene, and all four were declared dead. The police opened inquest dockets into the deaths.
