Tributes continue to pour in for eminent traditional surgeon

Tributes continue to pour in for renowned Eastern Cape traditional surgeon Qaqambile Siyongwana, who died of Covid-19 complications on Monday.

Siyongwana, 49, will be buried at his ancestral home at Bhongweni-KuDudumashe village, in Ngqamakhwe, on Tuesday, according to his brother, Qiqa Siyongwana.

Premier Oscar Mabuyane, OR Tambo district initiation forum chair and Contralesa provincial secretary Nkosi Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo and Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders acting chair Nkosi Langa Mavuso doffed their hats for the man who made patriots and responsible citizens out of the almost 3,000 boys he circumcised in his 12-year career as a traditional surgeon.

Both Mthatha’s Siyongwana and Mzimasi Mtimka, 58, of Peddie, who also died after contracting the coronavirus, circumcised thousands of boys without causing a single death or injury.

Mtimka, with a career spanning more than 30 years as a traditional surgeon, circumcised almost 15,000 boys.

They both changed the misconceptions about  the circumcision rite and instilled a sense of pride and beauty about the sacredness of the rite of passage from boyhood to manhood.

They spent a combined 42 years working hard on restoring dignity of the ulwaluko and dismissed mischievous perceptions that the rite was barbaric, a ritual of death and one that involved the maiming of flesh.

The two surgeons were also faces of Covid-19 awareness campaigns and contributed to the establishment of risk-adjusted strategy for initiation schools.

They shared their best circumcision practices with all Eastern Cape traditional surgeons at workshops and seminars.

Mtimka died on November 15 and was buried at Rhurha-KuLubalele, in Peddie, on November 28.

The two traditional surgeons are among the 6,252 people who have succumbed to Covid-19 in the Eastern Cape.

''These families include those of traditional leaders, academics and church leaders, public representatives and our most valuable front-line workers,” Mabuyane said.

“We learnt with great concern about the passing away of a traditional surgeon from Mthatha,'' the premier added.

Siyongwana was a high school maths teacher and rugby couch while Mtimka was general dealer store owner and father to Nelson Mandela University lecturer and political analyst Ongama Mtimka.

Dudumayo said of Siyongwana: ''It is a great loss losing such a disciplined forum member.

''He dedicated most of his time to building the society in line with human values and principles and grooming and developing young traditional nurses on what is expected by the society to them.

“He was the voice of other traditional surgeons,'' he said.

Dudumayo will never forget a telephone call he received from Siyongwana on the eve of his death.

''He phoned to say ‘please, Mhlekazi keep a close monitoring in my initiation lodge, I am admitted at hospital and it is this Covid-19’.

Dudumayo said he fervently hoped that Siyongwana would recover, but those were his last words — entrusting him with responsibility to ensure the safety of the initiates at his school.

''In him we have lost an asset, a man of honesty and integrity.

“The gentleman was very confident of his job and the role he played in our society.

“Siyongwana inspired many traditional surgeons.

“We don’t doubt his commitment and passion towards this sacred tradition, custom and culture.

“He protected the dignity and the reputation of our old custom till the time of his passing,'' he said.

Dudumayo further described Siyongwana as a noble man who regarded his trade as a religious calling.

''His was not about money, but maintaining integrity of the custom and making men of high standing out of boys.

“He believed in empathy, and advised us on what to do to curb initiation deaths in our province.

“Our deepest, heartfelt condolences to the family and the entire OR Tambo communities, particularly the now fatherless initiates,''  Dudumayo​ said.

DispatchLIVE