Chiefs evaluate initiation season in district in which five deaths reported

The Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders (ECHTL) is crisscrossing the province holding evaluations for the 2016 summer traditional initiation season.

It was impressed by the progress made by the O R Tambo district municipality and traditional initiation forum.

O R Tambo‚ which together with Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo‚ is one of the most problematic districts‚ said on Wednesday that of the close to 6‚000 initiates who underwent the rite this season‚ five had died. But the fifth death still left many questions. There is a claim he died before he arrived at an initiation school and before he could be circumcised‚ but police treated it as one of the initiation cases and there is an inquest into it.

The O R Tambo traditional initiation forum chairman‚ Chief Gcobani Tyali‚ presenting the district's final report on the recently-concluded summer initiation season‚ said that they had experienced a number of challenges including traditional leaders and parents who were not cooperative and areas where they were prevented to go and monitor the rite.

Police have opened five inquest cases and arrested five people for unlawful circumcision.

On Thursday‚ the ECHTL will be holding the evaluation in Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi.

-TMG Digital/Daily Dispatch