The portfolio committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has called for protection to be strengthened during this initiation season after three brothers were killed at an initiation in the Eastern Cape.
The fourth brother was left wounded during the shooting incident which took place early on Tuesday morning at Ngqamakhwe village.
According to provincial police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu, the grandfather of the victims was alerted to the incident and went to investigate along with some community members.
They found the Busakhwe brothers, Awonke, Anele and Sakhe, aged between 18 and 26, lying in a pool of blood inside the hut.
At the time the traditional nurse was not present.
“The brother of the deceased males, aged 22 years old, sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and was taken to hospital for treatment. All three deceased are brothers; however, two of them aged 18 years old were initiates while the third aged 26 years old was not an initiate. Police are investigating (three cases) of murder and attempted murder,” said Naidu.
The two initiates had only been at the hut for about two days.
Cogta committee chairperson Fikile Xasa called on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in probing the cause of the incident.
“The committee has consistently called for initiation schools to be compliant with the provisions of the Customary Initiation Bill to safeguard the lives of initiates against violent crimes. Furthermore, the committee is appealing to decent men during this initiation season to assist in strengthening the protection of initiates in their communities,” said Xasa.
He proposed that seasonal special courts should be established to deal exclusively with initiation cases to ensure initiation-related cases are prioritised and fast-tracked.
Cape Times