[ad_1]
A man in an initiation school.
- More than 10 starter schools were closed in the Eastern Cape on Monday.
- The initiation is suspended under the Level 1 blockade of blockade and those who organize the centuries-old ritual are violating the blockade regulations.
- Cogta warned that the number of illegal initiates is expected to increase as officials continue to raid illegal initiation schools across the province.
At least 13 initiation schools were closed by Eastern Cape police and traditional leaders on Monday, and 30 initiates were sent home to their parents or hospitals.
The initiation is suspended under the alert level 1 lock, and those who organize the ritual violate the lockdown regulations.
The raids took place on Monday in the Buffalo City metropolitan borough and the local Nyandeni municipality, confirmed Traditional Affairs and Cooperative Governance (Cogta) spokesperson Mamkeli Ngam.
READ | Bushiris surrender to the police in Malawi
Ngam said the number of illegal initiates is expected to rise as officials continue to raid illegal initiation schools across the province.
When asked about the fate of the initiates, Ngam said: “The parents took them home or we sent them to the hospitals.”
Monday’s crackdown took place in east London, Mdantsane, and in several villages in the local Nyandeni municipality, Ngam said.
Ngam said the police are investigating 13 cases of illegal circumcision. He added that so far 30 initiates have been affected by the closure of schools.
The raids came as Deputy Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Obed Bapela declared his intention to clamp down on false initiation.
In a statement, Bapela said: “To this end, the government and all interested parties will not tolerate bogus initiation schools and anyone found to be disobeying the initiation suspension order in the wake of Covid-19.”
“Those caught running illegal starter schools will face the full power of the law in accordance with the regulations of the Disaster Management Act. With the number of infections increasing again, let’s work together to defeat the coronavirus.”
Bapela said that while the suspension of traditional initiation was unprecedented, it was a necessary undertaking to mitigate Covid-19 exposure and contraction.
Save lives
“From alert level 5 to alert level 1, the country remains in consensus and united that the need to save lives is sacrosanct. As such, all actors understand that although the ban has been detrimental to this essential cultural practice It is only in the interest of protecting initiates that initiation remains suspended, “said Bapela.
Bapela said that in recent weeks, spikes in infections seen in numerous areas of the country are signaling the possibility of a resurgence.
Given this, the country must take the necessary precautions to reduce any potential exposure of insiders to conditions that place them in vulnerable positions to contract the Coronavirus. [sic],” he said.
Eastern Cape Provincial Police Spokesperson Khaya Tonjeni declined to comment, saying the initiation was a Cogta function.
