Cape Town — Families in the Eastern Cape have been struck with tragedy as up to 20 initiates have died since the province started its summer initiation season in November.
The Eastern Cape’s 2024 initiation season started on 15 November 2024 and is currently in its 4th week. After several developments, the Eastern Cape provincial government and the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoisan Leadership discussed the latest happenings regarding the season, The Citizen reported.
Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC, Zolile Williams, said the province encountered eight illegal deaths and 12 legal deaths of initiates, making up a total of 20. Among the causes of death included dehydration, gangrene, septicaemia, hallucinations and breathing issues.
“Besides the manageable cases of dehydration, septicaemia, gangrene, and hallucinations, we suspect that other cases are related to withdrawal symptoms from initiates who stopped using their medications due to stigmatisation by other initiates and those who have already undergone the tradition,” Williams said.
According to conservatives, those initiates who drink water and take medication are viewed as “lesser men.” Williams said these views have led to unrelated deaths, and the misinformation of not drinking water is so deep, that some were taught to do so by their teachers.
As such, some spent weeks at home not drinking water, only to collapse and die of dehydration when they got to the traditional initiation schools.
“Our advocacy campaigns have focused on these specific issues, but the conservative beliefs have completely undermined our advocacy to the detriment of the lives of the initiates,” he said.
Approximately 20 initiates have lost their lives during this initiation season in the Eastern Cape. pic.twitter.com/DwRv31P74C
— SABC News (@SABCNews) December 20, 2024
According to IOL, careless traditional nurses and illegal circumcisions have been the leading causes of the reason behind death. The COGTA Portfolio Committee conducted a three-day oversight visit to Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo Districts, two historical hotspots for initiation deaths.
Some deaths came from careless nurses, another was burnt and another initiate died from lung issues. Williams said an inmate had also died after his father removed him from a legal school.
“Unfortunately, the son died in his father’s care. That case is being investigated. We are worried about the increasing number of deaths. Most initiates died in the OR Tambo district. Many of these deaths are illegal schools,” he said.
“On Monday we celebrated the return of 52 people that went through the rite of passage to transition from boyhood to manhood. This also included three over-aged boys living with disabilities. We are anticipating more to return and welcome them with joyous celebrations. As the WCPPIC we are proud of the turnout of the season,” he said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
