CRL Rights Commission lashes Joburg on lack of services for initiates

The CRL Rights Commission has lambasted the city of Johannesburg for not passing a bylaw to regulate initiation schools.

The Commission for Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Rights (CRL) on Tuesday also criticised the Johannesburg municipality for failing to identify land to accommodate initiates when they go through their rite of passage.

The city, however, has signalled the issue of providing land for initiation is not feasible, although it is willing to co-operate with ensuring hygiene standards are in place on designated sites.

In November 2017, the commission suspended all initiation-related activities in Gauteng for a year. The commission's actions followed the release of a report into the deaths of initiates nationally, in which it found that incompetence in performing rituals was the major cause of penile amputations and initiates' deaths.

On Tuesday, the commission summoned the city to give an update on recommendations it had made.

Commission chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva signalled the prohibition would stand "until the city takes on the responsibility of monitoring and making sure the system works effectively".

During its previous inquiry, "we discovered that the city, at the time, did not have a bylaw that deals with initiation and did not have land for initiations to happen," she said.

The commission recommended that the city enforce a bylaw that deals with initiation. It also recommended that the city secures sites where initiates would be housed for the duration of the rite of passage.

"Joburg has been resistant consistently. If anything happens to anyone in Joburg, we will leave it at your door and we will say we told you so," said Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.

"You don't have any bylaw to control people. You don't have space demarcated for initiates. Come June, people's children are going to die here."

"The City of Tshwane has allocated land and has decided where initiates will stay," she said.

Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said the commission would give the municipality a month to identify a piece of land.

"We will give you one month to identify the land and tell us how you are going to secure the land."

City manager Ndivho Lukhwareni said discussions were ongoing regarding the possible passing of a bylaw. "At the moment, there is no bylaw," he said.

"Even in the absence of the bylaws, we will be able to assist. We would be able to provide tankers and inspect the environment."

He said if someone approached the municipality and suggested suitable land, they would co-operate.

"If someone comes and says there is space we will be co-operative, but it won't be feasible for us to point out space," Lukhwareni said.