-
Gavel in a court room.
The family of the 20-year-old initiate, Andile Zungulwa, who’s body was discovered in Tamaspruit at Theunissen, Free State on Tuesday July 8 is demanding justice against a bogus initiation school that claimed their child’s life.
He had been reported missing from an initiation school last week. The initiation school has since been closed down and 21 initiates were reunited with their families. Five people, including the initiation school owners and teachers, have been arrested and will make their second appearance at the Theunissen Magistrate’s court on Monday.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed that they will also face charges of murder, defeating the ends of justice and contravening the initiation schools act.
Andile’s aunt, Nontsokolo Zungulwa says the family is shattered and left with more questions than answers. She says they were first alarmed when Zungulwa ran off to the initiation school without parental approval on the 27th of May, and this came as a surprise because they had an agreement that he would go to the initiation school in Botshabelo during the summer initiation season.
“We refused to pay until we were sure that the school was legitimate. We eventually paid R3000 and signed papers which we later learnt were forged. On the 30th of June, the initiation school teachers told us contradictory stories. They said Andile had run away and also told another story about a group of men who had attacked the school and caused the initiates to flee, they claimed they were looking for him but we heard rumours that they killed him.”
The aunt says on the 3rd of July they decided to open a missing person case, even though the initiation school teachers told them not to go to the police. The family says they realised the teachers were not looking for their son.
They also learnt that his name was not on the list of initiates on the school’s records. The initiation committee also had no idea that an initiate was missing.
“Police have closed the initiation school and charged the owners and teachers with operating an illegal initiation school. On Thursday this week, we found his body was found in Spruit and it was not in good condition. His whole body was tied in ropes, which shows that this was premeditated and not an accident. Yes, they assaulted him, but was there a need to kill him? I want justice to prevail, I don’t want to see those men released, they must rot in jail.”
During the launch of the winter initiation season, the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Velenkosi Hlabisa, revealed that the Free State and Eastern Cape had alarming statistics of casualties linked to initiation schools.
“This time around, we don’t want to see any young man who will leave his home and not come back alive. The motto is “abahambe bephila ba buye bephila”. When the parents celebrate the departure of their boys to initiation schools, they must welcome them back with the same energy, in high spirits with no fatalities.”
The province has recorded a total of three deaths so far linked to the 2025 winter initiation season. The Department of Cogta has appealed to communities to watch out for illegal initiation schools.
