Police rescue 16 initiates from illegal schools as single mothers fear costs and deaths after boys vanish for circumcision.
Picture for illustration. Picture: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Thulani Mbele
As initiation season unfolds across South Africa, women in Zeerust, North West, are desperately searching for their sons – boys they say were taken by initiation schools without consent.
Makgaila Khumalo said her 16‑year‑old son vanished last week, leaving her devastated and fearful of both the financial burden of initiation fees and the risk of tragedy.
Police rescue 16 initiates from illegal initiation schools
“My son spoke to me about going to the initiation school and I refused,” said Khumalo.
“I am worried because I do not have money to pay for the fees and conduct a welcoming ceremony. If he is to die there, how am I going to bury him because I do not have money?”
According to a recently adopted Government Gazette, North West has a rate of R3 500 for initiates and R800 for the traditional surgeon.
Khumalo and another mother, Mmaonyanako Legodi, said they were taken by police to several initiation schools to search for their sons.
Legodi, who is an unemployed single mother and survives on social grants, said her son misled her about attending, disappearing for the second time in two years.
“During the previous winter, he left without my knowledge and I had to look for him around Mahikeng,” said Legodi.
Mothers report sons abducted
She said she doesn’t know what has attracted her son to the initiation practices.
“I tried to convince him that he could get circumcised at our local clinic,” she said.
“I do not know where this desperation to go through these teachings emanates from because it is not like this thing will help them to have a better life.”
North West police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh said illegal initiation schools were a cause for concern in the province, especially in the Ngaka Modiri Molema region, which includes Zeerust, Mahikeng and Lichtenburg.
“There was a case of a missing 17-year-old boy which prompted a search around initiative schools,” said Myburgh.
“We were able to find six initiates who were processed without their parents’ consent. What is really disturbing is that their parents were not looking for them, either.”
Parents search for sons
Although she doesn’t have the exact figures, she said some parents have been coming forth to report their missing children.
“We are working with the provincial department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs [Cogta], who are responsible for regulation of the initiation schools,” she said.
Myburgh revealed that around 16 initiates were rescued from illegal initiation schools in Matile village, Itsoseng and Lichtenburg.
“An initiation school owner fled with nine initiates from the mountain. We got a tip-off from a local resident that the nine initiates were hidden in a shack in the Matile village,” she said.
Police apprehended the owner and rescued the initiates. The other seven initiates were rescued from another school.
Cogta did not respond to questions sent to it by the time of publication.
EFF slams government’s reactive approach
EFF North West spokesperson Fanon Moema slammed the provincial government for its “reactive approach”.
“We are always raising issues with the reactionary police and government departments for the increasing illegal initiation schools,” said Moema.
“Although we support cultural practices that take place within the legal perspectives, we are absolutely against the illegal initiation schools which operate more like money-making schemes.”
