25 children rescued from bogus initiation school near Mahikeng village
The rescue followed a tip-off by residents from Lonely Park village, who reported the findings after the group of kids had been missing for two weeks.
A picture of young boys from the Xhosa tribe attending a traditional initiation school in Libode in the Eastern Cape province. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Twenty-five children have been rescued from a bogus initiation school near Lonely Park village in Mahikeng, North West.
The rescue followed a tip-off by residents from the village, who reported the findings after the group of kids had been missing for two weeks.
It's understood that the boys were lured into attending the illegal initiation school at Tsetse village, outside Mahikeng, and parents started looking for their children.
The North West Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) said the bogus principal had been changing locations in the bush for the past two weeks to avoid arrest.
The main culprit and a few others who have been in charge of the illegal initiation school are on the run, and a manhunt has been launched.
The provincial Initiation Coordination Committee members and some initiation school principals intensified the search for the boys after receiving a tip-off from the villagers.
The number of children who were reported missing initially was 11, but over time, the number increased to 25.
“This rescue brings the total number of initiates who have been rescued, since the beginning of the winter initiation season, to 115,” said North West COGTA spokesperson Thebeetsile Keamediste.
He said an extensive monitoring operation to ensure compliance with the Customary Act of 2021 will continue until the last day of the winter initiation season.