Death toll in South Africa’s circumcision rituals hit 29

CAPE TOWN. The death toll at South African initiation schools has risen to 29, as investigation into the tragedy deepens, authorities said on Wednesday.The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said the latest six deaths were reported on Tuesday in Sekhukhune, the Limpopo Province, during initiation and circumcision rituals. Previously, Mpumalanga was the only province linked to deaths at initiation schools. The toll hit headlines in the past two weeks, with the highest number ever recorded in the country in such a short period. The victims were youths ages 13 to 21. The ANC said it viewed the deaths ‘as a tragic result of a process whose tragic end could be avoided.’ “The ANC is very disappointed that ever since the first pronouncement of deaths of our young men in the initiation schools particularly around Mpumalanga, there does not seem to have been any urgency in investigating the circumstances that led to their death,” ANC national spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement. “This is very concerning that we still have thousands of young men who are still undergoing the initiation whose fate is under threat unless we understand and mitigate the causal factor to the many deaths that occurred in the initiation schools.”Earlier this week, President Jacob Zuma called for swift legal action in tackling the issue. “In line with the statement of President Zuma, we emphasize the need for urgent investigation into these deaths and bringing to book those responsible (any persons or groups) for these deaths,” Mthembu said. Although the ANC is fully supportive of the practice of initiation, he said, the practice should not mean a death sentence to so many young people. “We expect that those behind this cultural practice including provincial governments and traditional leaders will assure the public and the nation that these will never recur,” Mthembu said. The ANC called for investigations that “will leave no stone unturned in bringing out the reasons why we lost so many young men. “The probe, Mthembu said, should include all parties that bear responsibility for these schools.