Mother demands action after son’s initiation kidnapping

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The mother of a ten-year-old boy from Lephalale in Limpopo, who was kidnapped and taken to an initiation school, wants authorities to act against the owner of the initiation school.

Nathan Mokoena disappeared on Thursday afternoon while on his way from school. Police were alerted, and the child was found more than 200 kilometres away at the initiation school at Hammanskraal in Gauteng.

The child’s mother, Mapula Mokoena, says learners at the primary school he attends reported that he was seen with a group of unknown boys.

“The deputy principal called and said some learners reported that Nathan was taken by a group of other boys, who took him to an initiation school. The owner of the initiation school sent the group money for transport to Modimolle. From there, the owner took Nathan. We got his number and called him. He admitted that my child was at the initiation school but was not yet circumcised.”

A kidnapping case has been opened with the police. The president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, Chief Lameck Mokoena, has condemned the incident.

He says investigations are underway into establishing whether or not the school is licensed.

“We are so disturbed to hear that there are these incidents where some boys are kidnapped and taken to initiation schools. As Contralesa, we have already tasked a team to investigate exactly what happened. We want to make a call to all those principals of those initiation schools that this tendency or practice, where some boys are hired to go and kidnap boys and take them to initiation schools, is condemned. We will personally make sure that the owner of that school who did this is brought to book,” says Mokoena.