The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday will visit the families of deceased initiates at St Barnabas Hospital in Libode‚ Eastern Cape. DA councillors from the area will be accompanied by the party’s shadow deputy minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs‚ Nqaba Bhanga and DA Youth chairperson Yusuf Cassim MP‚ who will also “will also inspect an initiation site in Libode”.“The winter initiation season has already claimed 27 young men’s lives and 141 were hospitalised as a resulted of botched circumcisions‚” the DA said in a statement.“Recently‚ a 17-year-old boy died after a savage assault at an initiation school outside Gxulu Village in Libode. Justice must be served and SAPS will need to intervene to shut down illegal schools.”A statement from the office of Bhang’s ruling party counterpart‚ Obed Bapela‚ put the death toll four higher‚ and said the Hawks in the Eastern Cape had been asked “for assistance in ensuring successful prosecution of the owner of an illegal school‚ where Cinga Maphetshana‚ a Grade 10 student‚ died from assault wounds and injuries”.His department said it “announces with sadness the increase of the initiates deaths‚ the figure is standing at 31 nationally‚ and he extend condolences to the families of the deceased boys”.He also vowed that the “Hawks would look at other cases were death of the initiates was as a results of serious head injuries and burn wounds as a strong warning that government would not allow this situation to be out of control‚” the statement said.“Government will take a lead to ensure that all illegal schools are completely shut down.”"There is a sigh of relief as most of the initiates would be returning back to their homes these week as the current initiation season comes to an end"‚ said Bapela.Until then‚ "the focus would be on the boys who are still in hospitals as a results of injuries and botched circumcision”...