Circumcision ritual kills 30 tribesmen in South Africa

Boys from the Xhosa tribe after undergoing the circumcision ceremony known as Qunu in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Picture: Carl De Souza/AFP



Death related to the traditional circumcision in South Africa keeps increasing with another thirty people losing their lives at the weekend, a Cape Town health official has said.
Mr Mizwe Kupelo, Eastern Cape health department spokesman told journalists at a news conference on Sunday that  nearly 300 have been taken to various hospitals in the area.





“The private parts of the ten initiates have become rotten as a result of the lack of proper medical attention. They have been badly damaged, and the condition of those affected is scary,’’ Kupelo said.

He, however, said the initiates were responding to treatment since their admission and expressed the hope that some would recover during stay in hospital.

“Records ahow that a total of 293 initiates are currently in various hospitals in the province recovering from dehydration, gangrene conditions, and septic wounds, just as some have lost their genitals,’’ Kupelo said.

The country’s ruling party, African National Congress (ANC) in a statement said the news of the  30 youngsters who died as a result of circumcision-related injuries in the Eastern Cape were “distressing’’.

“The African National Congress is deeply distressed by the news that yet more young lives have been tragically cut short in their prime through botched circumcisions.

“Authorities can no longer pay lip service to dealing with this disaster which afflicts our nation during the traditional initiation season,’’ Jackson Mthembu, ANC spokesperson said in the statement.
The ANC is appealing to traditional leaders, medical personnel, government and communities to work together to halt this “senseless and unnecessary loss of lives’’.

“Those given the responsibility over the lives of young men must be provided with basic medical training and accredited  to enable them identify early warning signs of imminent danger.”

“There has never been a greater urgency to act than now. Our nation cannot be allowed to wither and to be dealt such a blow of losing young men who have so much to offer to their families and our nation as whole,’’ Mthembu said.

A number of young South African male adults, during winter go to the mountain top for the traditional circumcision (initiation schools), which last for about two weeks.

At the initiation school they are taught about the tradition and what is expected of them as adults in the community Bur most of them die of infection due to non usage antibiotic and excessive bleeding.

In June no fewer than 29 people died, while in May another 27 people also died.

The South Africa Police Service (SAPS) said reports from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is being awaited before it goes ahead to arrest those involved in the illegal initiation practice.