Gauteng police have launched investigations into the deaths of two teenage boys who attended illegal initiation schools in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni in South Africa.
These boys were among 138 kidnapped in Gauteng and taken to eight illegal initiation schools from May 2 to June 14, 2024.
One of the boys died on June 8 in Spaarwater, Ekurhuleni, and the other on June 10 in Cullinan, Tshwane.
Kiba Kekana, spokesperson for the Gauteng Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (GPICC), stated that the causes of death are unknown and an inquest is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the remaining boys were returned home after medical examinations.
Kekana reported that the principals of illegal schools in Garankuwa, Mashimong, Cullinan, and Witpoortjie have been arrested, but four other principals fled before police arrived.
Parents of the abducted children did not report the incidents to the police due to fear of “initiation mafias” demanding between R1,000 and R3,000. These mafias operate outside the law and intimidate parents.
The initiation season in Gauteng officially began on 15 June, coinciding with the winter school holidays. Any initiation school operating before this date is illegal.
The GPICC approved 99 legal initiation schools for this season, 10 for females and 89 for males, out of 152 applications, with 53 applications rejected for not complying with regulations, such as medical screening of children.
Kekana urged parents and guardians to report concerns to specific officials, providing their contact numbers.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo mentioned the arrest of a 27-year-old man for kidnapping four teenage boys, aged 15 to 19, who were found at an unregistered initiation school in Ennerdale after being reported missing from Orange Farms.
“On Tuesday, 11 June 2024, police together with some community members, pounced on the illegal initiation school and found four boys who were allegedly kept against their will. The man, who was found with the teenage boys, was arrested and charged with kidnapping,” Masondo said.
In the Eastern Cape, four initiates have died since the initiation season began on 29 May, with three deaths occurring at illegal schools.
Eastern Cape Cogta spokesperson Pheello Oliphant confirmed the arrest of three individuals for illegally circumcising underage boys and appealed to parents to protect their children from being taken to these schools.
He described the deaths as an unfortunate and regrettable part of the initiation season.
