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Initiates walking.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the North West has confirmed that 25 initiates have been rescued from an initiation school operating in Matlhonyane Village.
The department says further investigation revealed that eight other initiates fled the school during the intervention and have not yet been located.
Spokesperson for the department, Thebeetsile Keameditse, says while the initiation school leader was in possession of a permit, proper procedures were not followed.
Keameditse says they failed to consult with the parents of the children and no medical screenings were conducted.
“The PICC (Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee) is embarking on monitoring and inspections of schools to ensure they are compliant with the Act. The current case in reference indicates that it is important for the PICC to do inspections to ensure that registered initiation schools implement and comply with the prescripts of the Act. Registered initiation schools should ensure that they follow the law to the latter. If there are any transgressions identified, the PICC is obliged to revoke the permit and register a police case,” says Keameditse.
