Democratic Alliance press statement by Nqaba Bhanga MP DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs 119 initiation deaths and only 11 persons convicted In the past two years, 119 deaths and 66 injuries have been recorded as a result of botched initiations, a reply to a DA parliamentary question has revealed. Only 11 people have been convicted in connection with these deaths. The DA calls on Police Minister, Nathi Nhleko, to urgently establish a specialised unit, similar to the rural safety unit we have repeatedly called for, to ensure proper law enforcement is in place to crack down on bogus initiation schools and to ensure perpetrators are arrested and convicted. These are murders, and must be handled with the seriousness the police would address any other murder. I will also request a joint sitting of the Portfolio Committee’s on Cooperative governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and Police to summon the National Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, and the Minister to get an urgent explanation as to why there have been so few arrests despite the consistently high number of deaths during initiation seasons. Indeed, the deaths continue year after year, because there is no comprehensive response to root out the crisis. However, where we govern, the DA in the Western Cape is committed to ensuring that we provide training and support to make initiation and initiation schools the safe place that it is meant to be. The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport have the following interventions in place: - The forming of partnerships with the relevant Initiation Forums, Municipalities and provincial departments such as Health which work towards protecting the custom of initiation as well as safeguarding the medical well-being of all initiates. - Providing first aid training and kits for traditional healers and surgeons; - Providing bibs to nurses who assist during the ceremonies; - Providing districts with the services of a doctor (on call) for circumcision camps; - Encouraging local authorities to have clean running water points at circumcision camps; and - Engaging traditional healers and surgeons through their local forums about the ritual and its medical implications. According to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Pravin Gordhan, his department is working with various role players to reach the objective of zero deaths in the next initiation period. If we do not convict those responsible, we will not reach this target.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 12:17:43 +0000
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