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- The CRL Rights Commission has called for the immediate closure of illegal initiation schools.
- This comes after 32 initiates died at initiation schools this season - most of them at illegal schools.
- The commission also called on traditional leaders to be held accountable for initiation practices.
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) has called for a crackdown on illegal initiation schools after the death of 32 initiates in the Eastern Cape.
It said most of the deaths occurred at illegal schools.
The commission also called for the prosecution of those operating illegal schools as well as anyone at an initiation school who is suspected of negligence, such as those who botch circumcisions.
READ | Eastern Cape initiate disappears hours before his homecoming ceremony
Commission chairperson Professor David Luka Mosoma said almost 700 initiates died over the last decade. Countless others had botched circumcisions.
On Wednesday, the commission met with provincial and traditional leaders to discuss the circumstances of the deaths. After the meeting, it put forward a list of recommendations, including one for the immediate closure of any illegal initiation schools.
Initiates at illegal schools should be accommodated at a legal and approved site to finish their schooling, Mosoma added.
Two districts were identified as "hotspots" for illegal schools and the death of initiates - Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo - Mosoma said.
He added that criminal cases had been opened and called for the speedy prosecution of those responsible for the deaths.
He said:
Mosoma added that traditional leaders, kings and queens were legally responsible for the initiation process. The commission recommended that they become more "hands on" and that traditional leaders submit compliance and readiness reports for all initiation schools to the government and kings and queens.
These reports will serve as an accountability mechanism, Mosoma said.
"The Customary Initiation Act… talks about traditional leaders as those overall responsible for initiation schools. The buck stops with traditional leaders, kings and queens," Mosoma added.
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