Incidents of killings at initiation schools in the Eastern Cape are getting out of hand following another shooting of an initiate in a space of a week.
The 28-year-old man was shot dead in Gqeberha, Walmer township in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said two brothers had been asleep in a tent at an initiation school when someone asked them to come out for a smoke.
Soon after, a gunshot went off and an initiate was hit and declared dead on the scene. Naidu said the motive for the shooting is not known and police are investigating.
Siblings gunned down
The shooting follows another one in Nqamakwe last week when four siblings were shot dead an initiation school, also in the early hours of the morning.
Three of the siblings died on the spot while the fourth victim was admitted to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
One of the deceased brothers was ikhankatha, a traditional nurse who looked after his siblings during the rite of passage.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene said the circumstances surrounding the latest shooting are not known.
In November, Sunday World reported that a 20-year-old initiate was killed at an illegal initiation school, also in the Eastern Cape.
The 20-year-old initiate from Nkunzini near the Magwa Tea Estate in Lusikisiki died after he was allegedly assaulted.
Death toll
It was revealed in January that at least 20 initiates had died during the 2022 summer initiation season.
The causes of the initiates’ deaths ranged from dehydration to underlying health comorbidities.
In the 2022 winter initiation season, the department for cooperative governance and traditional affairs in Eastern Cape announced the deaths of 20 initiates.
The figure was not final, as it was announced before the end of the initiation season.
At the time, MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Zolile Williams, called on community leaders, sector departments, municipalities, families and society at large to join hands and protect the custom and the initiates.
