Latest news with #initiation
News24
4 days ago
- General
- News24
Cogta vows to clamp down on illegal initiation schools, after 94 deaths last year
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has vowed to crack down on illegal initiation schools after 94 people died last year. Hlabisa launched the winter initiation season in Bloemfontein at the weekend, saying initiation schools have a 'collective duty to safeguard the lives and dignity of all initiates throughout the season'. He said that during the 2024 initiation season, 94 people died, and another 11 suffered amputations due to unsafe initiation practices. He added that incidents were especially prevalent in the Eastern Cape and Free State. Hlabisa reaffirmed the government's unwavering commitment to the full enforcement of the Customary Initiation Act. The minister said his department would be enforcing the mandatory registration and verification of initiation schools, thorough medical screening of all initiates, rigorous training and vetting of traditional surgeons and caregivers, deployment of monitoring units and emergency response services, and strict enforcement of health protocols to mitigate risks such as dehydration and hypothermia. Hlabisa stated that Cogta will work in close collaboration with various government departments to ensure a smooth and well-managed initiation season. 'Registration does not exempt anyone from accountability. Any school that contravenes the law, disregards safety regulations or endangers lives will be closed without hesitation, the law is unequivocal and applies to all,' said Hlabisa. He urged parents, traditional leaders, and community members to all remain vigilant and report any signs of abuse, misconduct, or non-compliance.
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘A World-Wise Waitress Came to the Table and Scoped Out the Group'
Image Initiation Dear Diary: It was the early 2000s. I had been resisting my friends' invitations to join them in a night of dancing at one of those only-in-New-York, late-night parties held in the kind of dark, crowded clubs that were tucked into quiet streets along the Hudson River at the time. Intense, sweat-soaked, group experiences like that didn't appeal to me. At some point, I gave in and spent six hours one night dancing as hard as I possibly could. It was magic. I had found my tribe. As the early spring morning broke over Manhattan, seven of us left the club together, footsore, sweaty, exhilarated and exhausted, and then settled in for breakfast at a nearby diner. I felt like I had been initiated, let into the heavy rites of a secret fraternity. I was now one of those guys.
