The group of parents who had their children at an illegal initiation school operating in Old Coronation thought that the intervention of the police, Ingoma Forum and other stakeholders would solve their problems, but it was not to be.
The parents, mostly mothers, were very angry about the school and how the children were collected without their permission. Some of the parents said that some of the children were still in their school uniforms. They alleged that their children were picked up by a van and taken to the school in Old Coronation. They said their children were picked up from Friday, June 2 afternoon and on the following days and that the number had increased to more than 80 boys.
“He had the guts to take our children to the initiation school without our permission and some of the children are under age and some were circumcised while still young, some of them have medical conditions. How is he going to feed such a number of children, he has broken all the rules regarding initiation schools,” said one of the parents.
Parents with police, chiefs, Inkosi Nsizwa Mahlangu and other officials during a meeting held at Vosman Police Station trying to solve the issue of an illegal initiation school.
A meeting was then arranged by Vosman police together with members of Ingoma Forum and Inkosi Nsizwa Mahlangu of Hlalanikahle together with the principal of the initiation school.
A lot of issues were raised by parents telling the meeting that they went to the school to look for their children and try to negotiate with the principal to release them but he refused and showed a lot of arrogance and disrespect.
The principal of the initiation school in Old Coronation addressing parents at a meeting held at Vosman Police Station.
During the meeting, members of the Ingoma Forum indicated that they were concerned about the illegal initiation schools mushrooming all over the province and especially in eMalahleni.
Inkosi Mahlangu pointed out that he had personally advised the principal not to open a school until he had met him. Inkosi Mahlangu told the meeting that the principal had broken all the rules and the initiation school was illegal. Inkosi Mahlangu promised that he will take over the running of the school for the sake of the children and their parents.
Several meetings have since been held by the parents, chiefs, Inkosi Nsizwa Mahlangu, Cllr Western Kgomo and other stakeholders to find a solution and a way forward on the issue.
A decision was then taken at a meeting held at Izodela Development Centre that the children must be taken from the school and be handed over to Inkosi Mahlangu on Sunday, June 11.
According to Cllr Kgomo, 26 children were collected from the school and had been transferred to the care of Inkosi Mahlangu.
“After several meetings and interventions from different stakeholders, we were able to collect the children. What is left now is to provide food and care for the children and finalise the issue. We still have to collect other children whose parents need to write affidavits giving permission to collect their children and hopefully the matter will then be finalised,” noted Cllr Kgomo.
Recently, police in Mpumalanga issued a statement that they were concerned about four deaths which occurred recently at initiation schools at KwaMhlanga, Kwaggafontein, Vosman and Belfast.
All four initiates, aged between 14 and 21, had complications that led to their deaths and a probe is underway.
A preliminary investigation discovered that one of the victims was 14-years-old, which according to the Mpumalanga Ingoma Act 3 of 2011, no person under the age of 16 may attend an Ingoma as an initiate (umkhethwa).
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