Traditional leaders say failure to adhere to the Male Circumcision Act has contributed to the death of 21 initiates in the Eastern Cape during the winter circumcision season. Two thousand initiates were rescued from various illegal initiation schools during this period.
This emerged on the final day of the Provincial Initiation Technical Task Team meeting held in East London. The deceased were from the Amathole, OR Tambo, Buffalo City Metro, Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo District municipalities.
“The people on the ground, that’s the community and the boys themselves they don’t obey or adhere to the law that we’ve established in 2016. Therefore we are calling on those people to respect the legislation because that’s what governs us. People must follow the proper processes to get permission to undergo the process. When they don’t comply, law enforcement must do what they are hired to do. That’s why we are calling on the people to assist us to identify people who don’t respect the legislation,” says Contralesa’s Provincial Secretary Chief Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo.
A 31- year-old woman from Qumbu whose 16-year-old son was circumcised without her knowledge and took the matter to the authorities, has since been banned from her village.
“I don’t regret reporting this to the police because I was saving the life of my child and the lives of others in the community. But I’m so disappointed and angry with my community because they didn’t support me in this. It seems as if they accept this unlawful circumcision.”
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