49 Initiation schools rejected in Limpopo

Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert@mailbox.co.za

The Provincial Task Team on initiation has approved 204 permits and rejected 49 applications for initiation schools for this year’s Koma season which commence on 19 June and ends on 20 July. Last year, the team approved 275 permits and rejected 36 applications.
Chairperson of the Provincial Task Team on Initiation, Malesela Dikgale on Wednesday said: “We had 253 applications this year. We declined 49 because the aspiring operators did not comply with the standards required by the Initiation Schools Act of 1996. We are happy with the figure and I think it is also manageable,” Dikgale said.
He also urged parents to verify the legitimacy of initiation schools with their respective traditional authorities before they send their children. “We want a smooth operation this year. It is important for parents to know in advance where their children will be for that period. We have also established a provincial joint priority committee made up of the departments of Health and of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs as well as other parties to oversee and monitor the running of the schools,” Dikgale said.