The 2022 Summer Season of initiation has passed, with the Monitoring and Intervention Strategy (MIS) being implemented without fail, according to Chief Mpumalanga Gwadiso, Chairperson of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoi San Leaders (ECHTKSL). The Summer season began on November 4, 2022 and ended on January 13, 2023.
The MIS, according to Chief Gwadiso, was guided by the Eastern Cape Customary Male Initiation Practice Act No 5 of 2016 and the new Customary Initiation Act No 2 of 2021. He stated that the MIS was primarily concerned with promoting initiate safety, reducing and managing circumcision-related complications, injuries, and deaths, relieving pressure on hospitals, and mitigating COVID-19-related risks through the implementation of COVID 19 regulations, COVID screening, and testing prior to and during the initiation practice.
“We conducted workshops in all districts on the application of health standards in a traditional setting including on the roles and responsibilities of parents, initiates, traditional surgeon and caregivers as stipulated in the two Acts.
“More than 50 additional nurses were contracted to assist in monitoring of initiation schools. A total of 31791 initiates were visited by our monitoring teams. We thank our teams for showing dedication always during the winter and summer seasons of initiation. Their efforts continue to make a difference towards the preservation of our age-old tradition of initiation,” said Chief Gwadiso.
Zolile Williams, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) in the Eastern Cape, condemned the deaths of 22 initiates, saying they could have been avoided. “Our District monitoring teams continued to monitor, assess and treat initiates on the spot for minor illness, septic wounds, skin necrosis and dehydration related conditions. No child must die in the bush because the practice does not kill” said MEC Williams.
He added that, with the exception of the suicide case in OR Tambo and the two drownings of initiates in Alfred Nzo, the causes of death are associated with dehydration and wound mismanagement.
“Eight out of ten deceased initiates in OR Tambo were illegal. Only two initiates were legal, one being the suicide case and another with history of substance abuse,” said MEC Williams.
He went on to say that illegal initiation schools must end in our province, and that the Act must be tightened even more to achieve the desired results. He stated that parents must take full responsibility so that there are no reports of assaults, burn wounds, burned huts, stabbings, or food poisoning among initiates.
MEC Williams also urged police to expedite their investigations into the reported deaths. While the MEC applauds the arrests, he is dissatisfied with the few cases that have been successfully prosecuted.
“We will work closely with officials from the National Prosecuting Authority to close the loopholes so that all bogus practitioners are successfully prosecuted without fail. The non-participation of some parents in the prosecution value chain must be attended to as a matter of urgency,” said MEC Williams.
Lumka Oliphant: ‘Yekani utywala’