JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 41 young men have died as a result of circumcision procedures as part of traditional initiation activities in South Africa in November and December, authorities said Tuesday.
The traditional initiation is a rite of passage for young men that is practiced annually by various ethnic groups in Africa, including parts of South Africa. Among them are the Xhosa, Ndebele, Sotho and Venda communities.
Traditionally, young men are isolated in elementary schools where they are taught cultural values and responsibilities as they become adults. The initiation circumcision part results every year in the deaths of some initiates, which forces the government to intervene through legislation.
Laws force primary schools to be registered with the authorities, but this has not stopped the proliferation of illegal primary schools where many of the deaths are reported.
Parents are expected to pay for their children to be accepted into the initiation school for the prescribed period, which for some is a financial motivation to start an unregistered initiation school.
Commencement periods typically occur during the winter (June-July) and summer (November-December) school holidays.
The Minister of Traditional Affairs of South Africa, Velenkosini Hlabisa, told local broadcasters Tuesday that 41 initiates died during the early summer of this year. He blamed negligence on the part of both primary schools, including registered ones, and parents for not observing safety standards and medical advice.
Hlabisa said that some of the unproven advice that is often given to young people is to avoid drinking water in order to heal faster.
“There is negligence in terms of meeting health standards in some of the primary schools. If you take your child to a primary school, you never follow up, you don’t monitor, you don’t go there to see if the child drinks water, you are putting your child at risk”, he said.
The Eastern Cape province has been identified as a hot spot for the death of initiates, with a total of 21 so far.
Hlabisa said that 41 people were arrested in connection with illegal start schools, including parents who had provided wrong ages for their children to be admitted.
Only children aged 16 and over can be admitted to primary school with parental consent, according to South African law.
Traditional initiation is widely practiced in African communities, with the return of initiates often marked by joyous cultural celebrations.