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27 000 COPIES WEEKLY WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2013
EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE
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‘We are struggling to save our boys’ ANNA PAUW AND NCEBA DLADLA
I
T is that time of the year when Eastern Cape boys go to the initiation schools hoping to come back as men – “Amadoda”.
The sad reality is, however, that many die during the initiation and this year is no exception. The initiation season in the Eastern Cape started on June 10 and continues until the end of July. According to Eastern Cape records revealed to the media, so far 23 boys have died during Xhosa initiation since the season started about 23 days ago. According to Sizwe Kupelo, a spokesperson for the provincial health department, 47 boys died during the Eastern Cape initiation season last year. Standing out among these statistics, is however, the Nelson Mandela Bay region, which has recorded no initiation related deaths in the last eight years. This was confirmed during a visit to the city last week by Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane and Chief Lwandubuzwe Ngwekazi who represents the EC House of Traditional Leaders. A committee that has been set up in the metro municipality comprising Portfolio Councillor Fikile Desi as its political champion, chiefs, traditional health practitioners, health as well as municipal officials are largely the reason why the initiation process is running so smoothly in the Bay. With the support of parents who must lead the processes and procedures, they play a pivotal role in ensuring that young men do not lose their manhood or lives in pursuit of an age-old tradition. In the other parts of the region where deaths have been recorded this year, emergency measures are now being put in place for extra beds for hospitals, especially in rural areas, which are being inundated with initiation-re-
PHOTO: WERNER HILLS
lated admissions in some parts of the province. Hospitals in Mthatha, Lusikisiki and Bizana no longer have empty beds. “We struggle to save our boys,” Kupelo said. He said many of the 23 children who had died, were dead on arrival at the hospital. “They wait too long to get to hospital. By the time they do seek medical help, the condition of many of them is already critical.” He said the boys brought to hospitals are usually very dehydrated and many of them have infection because of circumcisions done
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under unhygienic conditions. “The boys struggle to urinate and they lose their genitals owing to infection.” Kupelo said there were now more than 100 boys in hospitals in the province, many of whom were in a critical condition. “This death toll and hundreds of sick boys can be attributed to mismanagement of the initiation. There must be better control.” According to him, the boys must also seek quicker medical help when they realize something is wrong. It could save their lives.
MEC Qoboshiyane was very happy during his visit to PE, however, as he found management of the initiation was excellent. Col Sibongile Soci, provincial police spokesperson, said there was good cooperation between the police and the health department to make those responsible for the boys’ death accountable. She said police in the Eastern Cape annually worked on murder investigations related to initiation. Soci could not confirm how many cases are now being investigated.
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