A 15-year-old boy died in the Nelson Mandela Academic hospital in Mthatha on Wednesday after developing complications from an illegal circumcision, Eastern Cape police said.
Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said the boy died in the early hours of the morning after being rushed to hospital on Tuesday evening. The circumcision, also involving six other boys, happened in the Kaplan locality near Mthatha.
Some of the other boys were also taken to hospital but were in a stable condition. The man who had performed the circumcision had fled after the first boy was rushed to hospital. A case of illegal circumcision was opened and the man was being sought by police.
The Circumcision Act stated that a boy under 16 years of age was not ready for circumcision and that the procedure could only be carried out by trained and authorised people.
On Monday a 15-year-old boy from Ngqeleni near Mthatha died after a similarly botched circumcision. The boy was rushed to hospital along with seven others on Monday evening where he later died.
The 31-year-old traditional surgeon who allegedly performed the circumcision was on the run and police were looking for him to face a charge of contravening the Circumcision Act, Fatyela said on Tuesday.
Issued by: Department of Health, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
1 July 2009
Source: Department of Health, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://ecdoh.gov.za)
