Limpopo police have issued a stern warning to illegal initiation school operators. Police spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe says they’ve opened cases of culpable homicide after the deaths of three initiates.
One at an illegal initiation school at Mogwelere village in the Sekhukhune district. The other initiates died at Nden’eza village, outside Giyani and in Modimolle.
Ngoepe says the traditional surgeons should not gamble with people’s lives.
“We have opened cases of inquest on which they are still under investigations; and we have also conducted autopsy as part of our on-going investigations which are going to tell us where to go. They are going to get it tough. We are going to make sure that we deal with it head-on, harshly, without any compromise. Because that is a very serious offence; because somebody out there is trying to gamble with the lives of our children,” Ngoepe explains.
A traditional surgeon of an initiation school where an initiate has died in Modimolle, Limpopo, has claimed that the deceased initiate had a drug problem.
Thomas Maluleke claims Karabo Mandlazi had at some point escaped from the initiation school, allegedly, to use drugs. Maluleke says he was found and taken back to the initiation school after two days.
Mandlazi was declared dead after being taken to the hospital as he allegedly experienced breathing problems.
Maluleke gives his side of the story. “We interviewed him as to why is he doing that and he said he was involved in nyaope and he was selling it. On Thursday, after eating he said ‘can I sleep just a little bit?’. After 30 minutes when we check him, we found that he was not breathing … After phoning EMS, they did not answer their phones, I phoned Coghsta and they said I should take him to hospital. So I got a bakkie and I went there…” says Maluleke.
Three initiates have died at three initiation schools in Limpopo. The House of Traditional Leaders chair chief Solomon Dikgale has confirmed that a nine year old initiate died at Nden'eza village outside Giyani, Modimolle and Mogwelere village in Sekhukhune district.#sabcnews
— Jabulani Baloi (@jabulanibaloi) June 26, 2019
