MEC Fikile Xasa: Traditional Initiation summit

The traditional Initiation Summit is an assembly to discuss practical, achievable and implementable action plans to deal with challenges confronting male traditional initiation in the Eastern Cape Province.

Notwithstanding various interventions including arrests and sentencing of offenders, undertaken by the Eastern Cape government, deaths of our young boys remain a huge concern to our government.

Chief amongst the objectives of the summit is to stop the death of initiates and restore the respect and dignity attached to this age old tradition for the benefit of generations to come.

Eastern Cape Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta-EC) has noted with concern the increase of illegal initiation schools from 602 in December 2013 to 1 342 in June 2014.  

We also noted and appreciate the role played by some women in the traditional initiation process hence the need to affirm their future role during the traditional initiation season. Indeed, it is time for new hands to lift the burden of the death of initiates in our Province.

The Provincial government has given the role of co-ordinating initiation programme to Cogta EC to facilitate and co-ordinate resources towards the success of the intervention programme and sustainability of our tradition. 

The resolutions emanating from the previous conferences must find expression to the current debate of the summit to avoid duplication and bring fresh and new ideas.

Today’s summit should take into account the great need to adapt and change with the times when confronting the challenges of the 21st century.

In this respect the role of traditional leaders becomes central in protecting and safeguarding the customs and traditions of their subjects at all times.

Some of the success stories in prosecuting offenders include the following;

• Mtshayina Ndoda has been sentenced tom five years in prison for illegal circumcision.
• Siyanda Khuphe sentenced to ten years for murder of a man at a traditional initiation school, and
• Admission of guilt verdicts.
• In the Winter Initiation Season for 2014, eleven circumcision related cases are on-going in various areas of the OR Tambo District Municipality.

Having said that, some of the challenges facing traditional initiation are known to us and include the following amongst other things;

• For a long time the tradition was not practised in some areas of the Province until recently. This has led to some traditional leaders being limited in their monitoring role due to the fact that they have not undergone the ritual.
• Negligence by some parents not taking responsibility for the safety of their sons during the traditional initiation season resulting in physical and drug abuse in the initiation schools, becoming the order of the day.
• Dehydration emanating from illegal traditional initiation schools.
• Newly graduated initiates taking care of traditional initiation schools resulting in revenge beatings and abuse taking place.
• Commercialisation of the ritual at the expense of our sons.
• Challenges in prosecuting circumcision cases include lack of co-operation from witnesses, ineffective Provincial Circumcision Health Standards Act, lenient sentences from then judiciary.

Government is putting forward some of the proposals going forward:

• Centralise all traditional initiation schools in areas most affected by death of initiates. These will be taken care of by trained traditional nurses with Amakomkhulu becoming centres of co-ordination for the registration of boys before they go to the mountain.
• Strengthen the Initiation Monitoring Intervention Strategy (IMIS) through the establishment of the Traditional Initiation Monitoring Teams working with municipalities, iingcibi, amakhankatha, Community Based Organisations, Sector departments to reclaim traditional initiation from criminal elements who use it as a get rich quick scheme at the expense of innocent lives.
• Effective use of the existing legislation to ensure the successful prosecution of illegal traditional practitioners and other offenders.
• Limit the number of traditional initiation schools in hot spot areas under the auspices of Amakomkhulu.
• Conduct annual communication and stakeholder awareness campaigns rather than seasonally.
• Put in place a uniform flat rate fee for traditional surgeons and nurses applicable throughout the Province. This will go a long way to stop the commercialisation of the ritual.
• Active participation and monitoring by traditional leaders from the House must be confined to their areas of origin and jurisdiction. This will also go a long way to cut cost costs in the interest of service delivery and encourage accountability of local leadership to manage the crisis in the ritual.
• Elders should take over the running of traditional initiation schools.
• Parental involvement to enforce age limit for boys who want to undergo the ritual.
• Close monitoring of the registration process will be done by the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders and thorough premedical screening process done by the Department of Health.
• Introduce media protocols to manage information flow and proactive media liaison in consultation with the Department of Communications, National and Provincial departments.
• Set up a Joint Operation Centre (JOC) in the offices of the South African Police Services (SAPS) in Zwelitsha during the summer season as a nerve centre for information co-ordination, management and analysis from the monitoring teams on the ground throughout the Province.

It is against that background that the summit must put in place real-time monitoring systems with brisk responses to problems and challenges facing traditional initiation in our Province. Collectively all key stakeholders from all spheres of government must be actively involved.

Our actions need to move from intent to generating impact on the ground. In this regard, we will mobilise massive support from those who are willing to make a difference and isolate those who seek to push back progressive change amongst us.

Our approach will be based on supporting and educating the coalition of the willing as well as enforcing compliance through legislation and regulation to achieve our goals. In other words, we will have to push and embarrass those who are not willing to change.

Working together, we will ensure that all our provincial key stakeholders and partners play their part meaningfully in the service of the nation.

In conclusion, government reiterates its standpoint that if all initiatives fail, it will be left with no option but to introduce compulsory Male Medical Circumcision in the hot spot areas.

Working together to move our Province forward through the safe passage of our boys to manhood.

God bless Africa and her people.

I thank you.