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| ANCYL Threatens to Boycott Initiation Schools |
In a statement issues this week, the league‘s secretary in the province Klaas Mabunda said they “are very concerned about the death of six initiates at illegal initiation schools staged in Sekhukhune area.”
According to the information compiled by the Limpopo Working Committee on Initiation Schools, there are 140 illegal initiation schools in the province, mainly from Sekhukhune.
In these school, 1 056 initiates were admitted at these schools. Six initiates have died so far.
Mabunda said they were concerned about the lives that are lost in the initiation schools. “We urge our community to send their children to properly co-ordinated schools that sanctioned by Cogsta while monitored by the department of health and social welfare and police.
“We also urge our community to send their children to medical circumcision as it is freely offered at public hospitals through-out the year,” said Mabunda.
Mabunda said they were not undermining the culture, but their concern is that “it is badly misused and put into shame by self-centered traditional leaders.”
If mortality rate continues to go up as it is happening, Mabunda said they will mobilize against all initiation schools and persuade the law to only recognize medical surgeons only.
“We cannot tolerate a situation where we live because of greedy traditional circumcision instead of losing people because of the will of God.
Meanwhile, DA has also condemned the death of six initiates. DA leader in Limpopo, Desree van der Walt, said they respect the cultural beliefs that support traditional circumcisions, but they are concerned about the youth who are forced to bunk schools for the sake of traditional schools.
Ndivhuwo Musetha is an OurHealth Citizen Journalist reporting from Thohoyandou in the Vhembe health district in Limpopo
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