South Africa rocked by ritual deaths

FIVE South African boys have been killed and more than 50 seriously wounded in circumcision initiation rituals in hills south-east of Johannesburg.

A so-called traditional healer - usually described outside Africa as a witchdoctor - and four of his subordinates were charged in court yesterday with the murder of five youths aged 15 to 22 who had attended two initiation camps.

While deaths occur annually at circumcision camps, the killings in the hills above a small black settlement called Ratanga, near Heidelberg, have provoked outrage across all communities.

Amos Mkhwanazi, 22, for example, was found frozen to death on a hillside with multiple injuries from an estimated 462 blows inflicted with heavy sticks, according to Dr Terrance Niemach, chief of emergency services at Heidelberg Hospital.

The youngest wounded initiate, 14-year-old Allan Mofokeng, said from his hospital bed that Amos had fled the initiation ceremonies last Sunday.

"Eight teachers then went to Ratanda, where they found him and brought him back into the hills," Allan said.

"In the hills they ordered us to strip him naked and told us to pour cold water over him. They forced him to kneel on the ground and instructed each of us to give him two lashes with a stick. We all obeyed because they threatened to attack us.

"Then each of the eight teachers hit Amos 50 times each. This was said to be his punishment for trying to escape."

Temperatures plunge below zero at night for two to three months of the South African winter. But this winter has been especially severe with frequent snowfalls in several parts of the country. The other four murder victims had been ordered to sleep naked on open ground while suffering from the results of botched circumcisions and frequent beatings.

"Four of them failed to wake up on Tuesday," said 17-year-old Ponki Letsiba, hospitalised with a septic penis alongside Allan Mofokeng. "The teachers ordered us to make a fire and drag their bodies next to it for them to revived, but it was too late."

Ponki also described how one boy, 16-year-old Charles Letsoalo, died as a result of punishment meted out to him for calling for his mother during his circumcision operation. "It hurts to talk about Charlie," said Ponki. "He desperately wanted to go home because of the ill-treatment he was receiving. Charlie constantly cried out for his mother and was punished all the more for that.

"Every time once of his attackers called out his name, Charlie would reply to them as his ‘Mma’ [mother]. I thought he was really out of his mind as a result of the beatings."

Nelson Mandela, the former president, has described his own initiation as a 16-year-old in 1934 in the hills of the Transkei. "In my Xhosa tradition, an uncircumcised male cannot be heir to his father’s wealth, cannot marry or officiate in tribal rituals. It is not just a surgical procedure, but a lengthy and elaborate ritual in preparation for manhood."

Mr Mandela said at the moment the knife was applied to his foreskin "I felt as if fire was shooting through my veins: the pain was so intense that I buried my chin in my chest and almost forgot, as required, to call out Ndiyindoda - ‘I am a man!’"

Although the South African government has tried to regulate initiation schools there has been huge resistance by witchdoctors to government control, arguing that is an unwarranted interference in cultural affairs.

Witchdoctors are widely consulted. Some traditional healers are so rich that they fly their own planes. Recent figures show that 88 per cent of the people in Soweto, the country’s most sophisticated township, consult a witchdoctor at some time in their lives.

Brutal... You see, this is what happens when your HMO is really bad. OK! Don't flame me. I know that was tasteless and unsensitive to these fellas' suffering. (I wonder if you just showed up for the ritual with someone else's foreskin and said "Hey, mine fell off on the way over here- do I still have to do it?", would that work?)

My wife circumcised her fair share of Zulus while she was working in the hospital in Soweto. They should've done it the safe way and gone to a real doctor- it still counts. This reminds me of those nuts out west who died in the 'ritual steam lodge' the other day.

The youngest wounded initiate, 14-year-old Allan Mofokeng, said from his hospital bed that Amos had fled the initiation ceremonies last Sunday.

he said, "forget the Mofokeng ceremony!"

sorry, hadda be the wise guy there

Well, the article doesn't say. So that would be pure speculation on my part. Mandela said he experienced a similar circumcision ritual in the wilderness so perhaps they were Xhosa! (or however it's properly spelled). They might've been Zulu too though, who knows?

As far as the ritual steam bath thing it was posted yesterday: 2 seeking spiritual enlightenment die in new-age sweat lodge. I believe one victim was a member of the lesbian tribe and the other was just a common, liberal, new age, fruitcake tribe member.

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