At least 138 boys were rescued and reunited with their families after they were kidnapped by bogus initiation schools in different parts of Gauteng, reports IOL.
Tiki Kekana, the spokesperson for Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), said that two boys were found dead. Kekana said most of the kidnappings occurred in Tshwane with 69 of the boys coming from Winterveld. He added that the kidnappings were fuelled by ransom demands, which are typically made by school organizers from the victims’ families.
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To address the growing number of illegal initiation schools, Kekana said that CoGTA has established an initiation monitoring committee, which collaborates closely with the South African Police Service.