By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Dozens of Ingatja(young boys) were in the early hours on Wednesday, rushed to the Mbabane Government Hospital in a critical condition after being attacked by Inkunzi(ritual bull) at Ludzidzini Royal Palace.

This was during “kubamba Inkunzi” where young boys were grabbing and killing a dangerous bull with their bare hands, the killing of the bull “is part of the ongoing Incwala ritual ceremony and it started around 1am on the Eve of the main Incwala ritual ceremony. 

It is alleged that,King Mswati normally perform rituals on the same bull by having sex with it hence his famous praises “uchamela enkhomeni uchamele nakumuntfu”.

But rituals are normally performed on the bull before it could even be killed by the young boys and it is alleged that, almost every year, some are killed inside the Cattle Byre(Sibaya) by the ritual bull.

In the early hours on Wednesday around 2am, dozens of young boys were rushed to hospital and, it is alleged that, some of them are in a critical condition and might die.

This publication managed to obtain some pictures and videos from the Ludzidzini Palace and some of these videos, show some injured young boys inside the Palace.

Efforts to reach Ludzidzini Palace Governor Lusendvo Fakudze proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.

Reached for comments by this Swaziland News, Sakhile ‘Awviva’ Nxumalo, the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) Youth League accused King Mswati of systematically using poverty to force these young boys to perform such dangerous rituals.

“No same person could kill a bull with bare hands and expose himself to danger but because of poverty, these young boys are exploited and found themselves participating in these rituals. The King’s children were not even inside Sibaya when this happened, it’s the children of the poor who are exposed to this dangerous ritual”, said the PUDEMO Youth Leauge President.

Thousands of emaButfo(warriors) are highly expected to gather at the Ludzidzini Royal Palace on Wednesday for the Incwala main ceremony.