The number of initiates who have died in the Eastern Cape province during the December initiation season has risen to almost double from 12 last week to 23 this week.
Government says it is not clear at this point what may have been at the centre of these deaths and that they are awaiting post mortem results to give them clear indication of what has taken place.
Government is appealing to parents to assist them by visiting initiation schools at all times to monitor and overlook processes.
Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Spokesperson, Mamkeli Ngam says if it were not for the monitoring teams dispatched in and around the province, the situation could have been dire.
“We are of the view that if it was not for the monitoring teams who are intervening throughout the province, numbers could have been bigger than they are at the moment. So the approach that we are following, as government, is that we are interventionist in our approach. We are not taking over because this is the responsibility of parents and families and that is for that reason that we are encouraging parents to work harder and visit Amabhoma 24-7 so that any signs of illness on the part of their kids are identified immediately,” says Ngam.
Illegal initiation schools in Eastern Cape amid COVID-19 regulations:
