The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is appealing to communities to ensure that initiates only use registered schools and report unregistered ones.
This after three men who allegedly recruited unsuspecting young boys to join an initiation school outside Mahikeng were arrested for running an unregistered facility last week.
About 40 initiates between the ages of 15 and 20 were rescued by police.
The three suspects were arrested after parents reported their children missing at the Mahikeng and Lehurutshe police stations.
Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) in the North West provincial interim committee convenor Pastor Lesiba Kgwele called on traditional leaders to continuously monitor initiation schools to curb the problem.
Kgwele added that initiation is supposed to be a healthy, safe, positive learning and bonding experience, and a portal into manhood that is not associated with criminality, human rights abuses and loss of lives.
“Chancers and those who commit atrocities through bogus initiation schools undermine our tradition and should be brought to book.
“We appeal to traditional leaders as custodians of our traditional and cultural values to monitor initiation schools within their areas of jurisdiction and report ill-treatment and illegal operations to authorities. Adherence to prescribed conditions is necessary to ensure that there are no atrocities that put the lives of the initiates in jeopardy,” he said.
Kgwele also appealed to parents to report their missing children to police in order to curb abductions.
“Always know the whereabouts of your children during the initiation season. Those who believe in the tradition should avoid unscrupulous operators who are desperate for easy money without the responsibility to uphold and respect our proud customs and traditions,” he said.
Last month three initiates were burnt to death at their grass initiation hut in Mdantsane, East London.
Cogta spokesperson Legadima Leso said they have initiated a call to all communities across the country to raise the alarm where unregistered illegal initiation schools are found.
“We just launched the Customary Initiation Act Initiation Awareness Campaign. One of the key functions of the campaign is to monitor and oversee implementation of and promote compliance with the Customary Initiation Act by all relevant role players,” he said.
Cape Times