I was abducted to initiation school: 72-year-old recounts alleged assault

The Citizen

20-07-2025

He said being forced to the initiation school was not only illegal, but also against these beliefs.
A 72-year-old Limpopo man was abducted to an initiation (Koma) school in Ga-Molepo, Mankweng area, where his foreskin was cut off before he was released into a forest.
Amos Mahlangane Mathobela from Mamatsha village told The Citizen that it was his custom and belief for his family and clan not to go to an initiation school until they die.
He said being forced to a initiation school was not only illegal, but also against these beliefs.
Mathobela added that by merely setting foot in the initiation (Koma) school, he has upset his ancestors.
'I was relaxed, sitting at a local shebeen, sipping my traditional beer with friends and neighbours. Little did I know that I was a target for abduction.
'A few minutes later, I was grabbed by a group of muscled men, who were armed with sticks and sjamboks. I managed to escape and locked myself into one of the shebeen rooms, but that did not deter the angry men from abducting me.
'They kicked the door open, tied me up with ropes and took me to the initiation school outside the village.
'They said I was scum of the nation and that tradition strongly prohibits a man of my age to be leshoboro (not initiated),' said Mathobela on Wednesday.
At the school, he said he was kicked and whipped with a sjambok until his buttocks turned red.
'I sustained a broken rib and hand after they constantly beat me to a pulp. Then they undressed me and cut off my foreskin before they released me into the forest,' he said, still shivering.
Offending the ancestors
Mathobela said when he got home, he was welcomed by his wife, whom he said was baffled to see his hips and thighs bloodied.
Makgomo Mathomela echoed her husband's words.
'I married my husband in 1982. Now we have seven children. When I first met him, he was not initiated or circumcised, and I learnt to accept his condition because he said it was the practice he had inherited from his forefathers,' she said.
'So forcing him to an initiation school is a serious offence to him, his family and his ancestors,' she said.
Mathobela and his wife said they want Polokwane Mayor Makoro John Mpe, Limpopo provincial initiation coordinating committee (PICC) chairperson Mudabula Chauke, cooperative governance, human settlements, and traditional affairs MEC Basikop Makamu, and premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba to explain how they are going to deal with his abduction situation.
'I want them to tell me what action they are going to take against the Koma (initiation) school principal and the perpetrators because I know them.
'I want them to explain how they have planned to pay for my medical bills because they broke my ribs and hand. If not, I will ask for help from the public and take them to the highest court in the land,' said Mathobela.
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Arrests
Limpopo (PICC) chairperson, Mudabula Chauke, confirmed the incident.
Limpopo police said on Thursday that two more abductions had occurred in different areas on the same day when Mathobela was abducted.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said the suspects, aged 34, 37 and 47, will face multiple charges including assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), assault common and forcing a person to an initiation school using duress.
He said the suspects will appear at the Mankweng Magistrate's Court soon.
'The abduction incidents took place on Sunday, 6 June, but the suspects were only arrested last Monday [7 July] following an intensive police investigation'
Ledwaba said in the second incident, at approximately 2pm, a male complainant was informed by relatives that a group of people had gathered at his home.
'Upon his arrival, the victim was allegedly tied with a rope, placed in the back of an open van, and taken to the initiation school against his will.
'The third incident happened shortly after the second one, wherein a 40-year-old male was reportedly assaulted after a group of individuals forcefully entered his yard and attacked him with sticks and sjamboks, without any explanation,' said Ledwaba.
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