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Attendees seen at an initiation school
An initiate who fled from an illegal initiation school at Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape is allegedly receiving death threats from some community members. They accuse him of disrespecting the AmaXhosa tradition.
The boy escaped from the initiation school last month. He has a wound following a botched circumcision.
The 19-year-old grade 12 learner who cannot be named for safety reasons, is now in hiding. He’s appealing to the authorities to help him find a safer school.
“I went to initiation school because of him, one of my friends. But I ran away because I had a painful wound which was not healing. So, I ran to the hospital. I actually escaped early in the morning when everyone was sleeping. The violent people in Mdantsane want to assault me. They also wanted to kill me. They say I disrespected their culture of AmaXhosa by running away from the initiation school. So now, I want to go back to continue with my matric classes, but I cannot. Because I’m afraid as they wanted to kill me.”
Meanwhile, Social justice activist, Hendrick Makaneta, has condemned the use of culture to compromise the future of young boys.
He has urged relevant authorities to intervene urgently.
“The Department of Basic Education should prioritize the safety and education of the learner by ensuring that he’s transferred to a safe school in Gauteng. Where he studies under police protection. But at the same time, we urge the government to assist with psychologist support to make sure that the learner is able to cope academically and emotionally. We also need to find a balance between cultural beliefs with human rights.”
VIDEO | The report below has more on initiation:
