17 young men die in Gauteng as a result of botched initiations

Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Paul Mashatile, has revealed in a written reply to a DA question that 17 young men in Gauteng have died as a result of botched cultural initiation practices since 2012.

These are tragedies that could have been avoided. What’s more shocking is the unwillingness of the ANC-run government in the province to institute an urgent Commission of Inquiry into these deaths.

While a commission at national was conducted, no reports or recommendations have been released. Therefore there is absolutely no excuse to not institute a provincial commission to address these tragic deaths in Gauteng

Families deserve closure on the deaths of their loved ones. One death, is one too many.

The DA expects the MEC to commit to the development of provincially-based policies and regulations that will see zero deaths in Gauteng.

This would be informed by the establishment of a provincial initiation forum that seeks to connect communities and initiation coordinating committees. Out of this, initiation schools would need to be registered, provided with clear guidelines on how they should function and what support would be provided.

The DA-run Western Cape government developed an initiation framework and protocol in 2011, which incorporates the provincial Department of Health’s circumcision strategy.

This approach focuses on the supply of services that support and respect the initiation process, including giving first-aid training to cultural practitioners and allocating medical officers to initiation sites.

As humane and caring people, we simply cannot allow the national government to continue to fail on this deathly issue. Our young men deserve the best support from government at this delicate, but honourable time of their lives.

The DA will continue to do everything possible to make sure that this support becomes a reality and that not one more life is lost during an initiation ceremony.