Three traditional nurses in court for attempted murder of an initiate
Three traditional nurses will once again appear in court today on charges of attempted murder after an initiate was badly assaulted in one of the initiation schools in Lady Grey at the beginning of December 2023.
On Monday, 18 December 2023, the three men aged between 23 and 35 briefly appeared in the Lady Grey magistrate’s court on charges of attempted murder, and were remanded in custody. The case was postponed to Thursday, 21 December 2023 for the accused to be allocated a legal representative.
The 22-year-old victim (initiate) was hospitalised in ICU after sustaining serious burn wounds and several injuries in various parts of his body. An investigation led to the arrest of three suspects.
This arrest is one of many that were effected in the province, as part of tightening our grip on criminal elements for contravening the Customary Initiation Act 2 of 2021, within the practice of traditional circumcision. Up to date, police have arrested at least 80 people (among those were 16 women, who were detained for allowing minors as young as 13-years-old to undergo this rite of passage), other suspects were arrested for crimes ranging from illegal circumcision to murder. The teams that are operating in the eight districts of the province rescued around 175 initiates from illegal initiation schools, and destoyed several illegal initiation schools.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene has applauded the all-round efforts from the team’s integrated intervention from various stakeholders, and ensured that her charges will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in ensuring that those who are not complying with the law are brought to book.
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