Siphelele Nketo
A FAMILY of three members in the area of Shayamoya in Kokstad has been living in fear after an initiation school was reportedly built last Friday, October 23, in their yard without their consent.
The family claimed they saw a group of unknown men erecting a temporary structure at the back of their garden. According to the homeowner, Fikiswa Mbobo, the men claimed they had been granted permission to operate an initiation school on the site.
However, Mbobo said they were never consulted.
“No one asked for our permission. We just saw people building a shack in my garden as if it belongs to them,” she said, adding that the presence of the initiation school has disrupted their daily lives as strangers move in and out of the area at all hours.
She said she received the property in 2011 and has been living there with her daughter (25) and her grandchild (9). She said that having an initiation school in the area has affected their daily lives, as they are even scared to go outside because of threats they constantly receive from individuals living in the shack.
She added that sometimes the family receives insults when they are in the garden, and are told to stay indoors.
“We fear for our lives because sometimes at night we hear strange noises and throw stones on the roof,” Mbobo added. It was not the first time the family complained about the same initiation school.
In November 2024, a shack was erected in the same spot and accommodated initiates. However, through interventions from the local authority, it was removed in 2025.
“The shack housed a number of initiates in 2024, and after I reported to the local municipality, the man who erected it was instructed to destroy it. There was even a protection order, preventing anyone from erecting a shack in the garden,” Mbobo added.
To address the recent incident, the family has informed authorities in the Greater Kokstad Municipality, asking for assistance and to remove the structure from their property. Municipal spokesperson Zolani Siqwayi said the municipality has written a notice to the owner of the structure, instructing him to remove the shack. He warned that if the structure is not removed, further steps will be taken.
