The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs wrapped up its three-day oversight visit to Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo districts. During this visit, the committee assessed some initiation sites' compliance with the Customary Initiation Act. The committee focused on districts that historically were hotspots for initiation-related deaths.

Concluding the oversight visit at the OR Tambo's Mhlontlo Local Municipality yesterday, the committee was informed of three deaths of initiates during the summer initiation season in Mhlontlo. Two of the deaths were initiates who were illegally circumcised, and one of them was legally circumcised.

No tangible and satisfactory report was provided on the arrest of the perpetrators of the illegal initiation. The Chairperson of the committee, Dr Zweli Mkhize, stressed the importance of acting against such perpetrators to stop the death of initiates - some of whom are breadwinners. He said all those involved in the initiation should uphold the slogan, "they must go alive and come back alive, " meaningfully.

Dr Mkhize said the committee appreciates the decrease in the death of initiates in the Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo districts. He called for a more aggressive fight to stop the death of initiates. According to the Chairperson, the fight should be likened to the fight against a pandemic, noting the fight against HIV and COVID-19 as examples. He said this aggressiveness should be emulated to prevent initiates' deaths.

The committee found the visit enlightening and sympathised with the stakeholders responsible for implementing the law and curbing all unnecessary, avoidable and predictable deaths. He said the initiation is a complex tradition, and lives are lost largely because of ignorance and the wrong mindset. He called for proper alignment between all the roleplayers who were implementing the tradition to change mindsets.