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AUTHORITIES ramped up their raids on initiation schools in Mthatha and Libode yesterday following the death of nine boys in the province since the start of the season two weeks ago.

Yesterday, six schools were raided in Mthatha by health officials and police, who rescued six initiates in the process, including an HIV-positive boy.

Three others suffering from septic wounds escaped from Qokolweni as they were about to be taken by officials to Mthatha General Hospital. Two others who tried to run away were caught by police about 5km from their initiation school.

“The initiate from Ncise asked to be taken to hospital after he had disclosed his HIV status, while we had to forcefully take others to hospital because they did not want to go,” provincial Health Department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said.

Kupelo said the traditional surgeons who ran the schools that were raided were registered with the department, and no underage initiates were found.

In Qokolweni, much to the dismay of police and health officials, 30 initiates were crammed into a small shack, 20 others were jammed into a small mud room, while 16 others were packed into a small bedroom.

Each of these groups had only one nurse. The l aw requires that a nurse look after no more than six initiates.

In Libode, authorities raided four initiation schools, where they found some initiates unattended.

Two of the initiates had to be taken to hospital because they were dehydrated and their circumcision wounds had turned septic.

On Tuesday , a 25-year-old traditional surgeon from Highbury in Mthatha was arrested for allegedly circumcising 16 underage boys at Moyeni in Libode, bringing to five the number of traditional surgeons arrested in the province.

Of those arrested, three were from Ngqeleni and one was from Libode.

Police spokesperson Captain Zamukulungisa Jozana said some of the surgeons were charged with unlawful circumcision.

Jozana said they were still searching for two other surgeons who circumcised 11 underage boys, including two youths who were already circumcised last year at Mkhankatho in Libode.

Between March and April , four initiates died at initiation schools in Flagstaff and Libode and dozens of others were rescued in Flagstaff, Mb izana, Lusikisiki, Libode and Tsolo . Twenty-four died last summer.

To raise awareness of problems around initiation, authorities took to the airwaves on Wednesday.

“The Pondoland area is the most problematic area in the province. One of the contributing factors to the problem is that boys undergo the rite without parental consent, or even their knowledge,” said Kupelo.

Provincial chairperson of the Congress for Traditional Leaders of South Africa, Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana, agreed that circumcision in the Pondoland area was a big problem.

“This ritual was not practis ed in Pondoland for many years. N ow bogus surgeons are taking advantage of the situation,” he said.

Nonkonyana said one of the things that would help curb the problem would be for government to let traditional leaders take control. - By MALUNGELO BOOI

Mthatha Bureau