While Western Cape initiation schools celebrate no tragic occurrences thus far, they are still faced with access to land issues to perform their traditional rite of passage.
According to Sikelela Zokufa, chairperson of the Somagwaza Institute, an organisation that oversees this sacred cultural practice in the Cape Metro, despite the heavy rains that left two dead and destroyed infrastructure, not a single initiation camp has reported fatalities.
‘’We have made preparations for the winter initiation season, met with parents and everyone involved, and discussed issues to prevent any incidents. We know that in winter it's cold and there are heavy rains. Hence, we have made sure that initiation huts are placed in places that are wet or likely to experience floods,’’ said Zokufa.
He said the number of initiates has also dropped compared to the last initiation season.
‘’In 2022, we had a number of initiates because of the backlog caused by Covid-19, which prevented many boys from going to initiation schools across the province. However, this year, we have seen a decrease in those numbers by 50%,’’ he said.
Zokufa said the ongoing issue they are still experiencing is access to land, as they don’t have enough land to place initiates.
‘’We appeal to the provincial government to assist us with earmarked land that can accommodate our initiates. We have a problem with squatters; once we have identified a place, they come and build sharks and remove us from that area. We appeal to the government to assist us in this regard by fencing and marking those places that are identified as initiation camps,’’ said Zokufa.
Spokesperson of the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Tania Colyn, said as per the Customary Initiation Act (2021), Initiation schools engage directly with landowners with requests for land use.
‘’Land ownership for purposes of initiation varies from place to place, from privately owned land to municipal and state-owned land,’’ said Colyn.
When it comes to assisting initiates this winter, she said the department had provided equipment such as thermal blankets as part of their support, and monitoring teams have been appointed consisting of health practitioners and departmental officials to check in with initiates, monitor the situation, and assist where possible.
‘’If requested, the department would alert the Western Cape disaster management team of any help needed stemming from natural disasters, but we have not received any requests for assistance in this regard,’’ said Colyn.
Colyn said they could not comment on what is currently happening on the initiation sites out of respect for the culture and its privacy but that they could provide an update once the season is concluded.
She, however, said: ‘’Some initiation schools have been slow to register their schools on time for the initiation season. This is a requirement of the Customary Initiation Act (2021), and we encourage all initiation schools to ensure that they register at least three months in advance of the upcoming summer season.’’
IOL recently reported that three initiates from the Eastern Cape died after their hut was burned.