By SIKHO NTSHOBANE
Peer pressure and ridicule by those who have already undergone the rite of passage to manhood are the root cause of why underage Eastern Cape boys continue to flock to illegal initiation schools in the Eastern Cape.
This was said by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Obed Bapela, who spent yesterday visiting initiates admitted to St Barnabas and Canzibe hospitals in the OR Tambo district.
Bapela was reacting to being told that about 17 initiates at St Barnabas Hospital, in Ntlaza near Libode, the youngest only 14 years old, had decided to get circumcised without the knowledge of their parents because they were being ridiculed by their peers in schools.
“Peer pressure is the biggest enemy in the Eastern Cape,” the deputy minister said.
“They talk among themselves and those who have not been to the mountain are ridiculed and called boys.”
He said they were anticipating that a large number of boys would undergo initiation during the summer initiation period and prior to that, there would be an intensive public awareness programme next month targeting schools, villages, townships and various communities across the country.
He said a recently produced film called Makwenzeke would also be screened in public halls. The film touches on some myths regarding circumcision.
“Those are issues we need to de-mystify. We will also bring in theatre groups to try and bring the message across,” Bapela said.
Earlier while addressing a media briefing at the OR Tambo district municipal offices in Mthatha, Bapela said the boom in illegal initiation schools continued to undermine the custom.
“The biggest challenge is that we don’t know where they are or who is running them. We only get to know about them when initiates land up in hospital and we ask them questions.”
The OR Tambo district has the highest death toll with 11 initiates having died since the start of the winter initiation season more than three weeks ago.
OR Tambo Traditional Initiation Forum chairman Chief Gcobani Tyali told the deputy minister that about 143 illegal schools had been uncovered in local municipal areas under the district.
About 93 of them were found in Nyandeni where six initiates had died recently.
In addition, almost 1000 initiates had undergone circumcision illegally.
In the same district, almost 20 people have been arrested, mainly on charges of assaulting initiates.
Of the total number of deaths in OR Tambo, only four initiates had died at legal initiation schools.
Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders executive member Chief Mnoneleli Ranuga meanwhile said they suspected that many boys opted to go to illegal initiation schools without the knowledge of their parents because they were trying to avoid the compulsory screening for diseases by doctors as per requirements.
“There is a stigma attached to it and some end up going to these illegal schools.”
The deputy minister was told that a total of 14 initiates had died across the province in the past three weeks.
In turn, he revealed that only two initiates had died in Mpumalanga, and one each in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
“Our worry is the Eastern Cape, we still have two to three weeks left,” he said.
One Eastern Cape initiate has reportedly had his penis amputated while three had to undergo partial amputations. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Peer pressure, ridicule feed illegal initiation
Peer pressure and ridicule by those who have already undergone the rite of passage to manhood are the root cause of why underage Eastern Cape boys continue to flock to illegal initiation schools in the Eastern Cape.
This was said by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Obed Bapela, who spent yesterday visiting initiates admitted to St Barnabas and Canzibe hospitals in the OR Tambo district.
Bapela was reacting to being told that about 17 initiates at St Barnabas Hospital, in Ntlaza near Libode, the youngest only 14 years old, had decided to get circumcised without the knowledge of their parents because they were being ridiculed by their peers in schools.
“Peer pressure is the biggest enemy in the Eastern Cape,” the deputy minister said.
“They talk among themselves and those who have not been to the mountain are ridiculed and called boys.”
He said they were anticipating that a large number of boys would undergo initiation during the summer initiation period and prior to that, there would be an intensive public awareness programme next month targeting schools, villages, townships and various communities across the country.
He said a recently produced film called Makwenzeke would also be screened in public halls. The film touches on some myths regarding circumcision.
“Those are issues we need to de-mystify. We will also bring in theatre groups to try and bring the message across,” Bapela said.
Earlier while addressing a media briefing at the OR Tambo district municipal offices in Mthatha, Bapela said the boom in illegal initiation schools continued to undermine the custom.
“The biggest challenge is that we don’t know where they are or who is running them. We only get to know about them when initiates land up in hospital and we ask them questions.”
The OR Tambo district has the highest death toll with 11 initiates having died since the start of the winter initiation season more than three weeks ago.
OR Tambo Traditional Initiation Forum chairman Chief Gcobani Tyali told the deputy minister that about 143 illegal schools had been uncovered in local municipal areas under the district.
About 93 of them were found in Nyandeni where six initiates had died recently.
In addition, almost 1000 initiates had undergone circumcision illegally.
In the same district, almost 20 people have been arrested, mainly on charges of assaulting initiates.
Of the total number of deaths in OR Tambo, only four initiates had died at legal initiation schools.
Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders executive member Chief Mnoneleli Ranuga meanwhile said they suspected that many boys opted to go to illegal initiation schools without the knowledge of their parents because they were trying to avoid the compulsory screening for diseases by doctors as per requirements.
“There is a stigma attached to it and some end up going to these illegal schools.”
The deputy minister was told that a total of 14 initiates had died across the province in the past three weeks.
In turn, he revealed that only two initiates had died in Mpumalanga, and one each in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
“Our worry is the Eastern Cape, we still have two to three weeks left,” he said.
One Eastern Cape initiate has reportedly had his penis amputated while three had to undergo partial amputations. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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