The role of women and medical doctors in initiation came under the spotlight in the second day of the public hearings on the Customary Initiation Bill, in Mthatha on Tuesday.
A traditionalist on issues of culture, Mr Ndoda Somhlahlo, said the Bill dealt with a sensitive matter and ought to respect the people and their tradition.
“When we raise issues around initiation it will feel like we are fighting. If one involves people who have never been to initiation then you are killing the meaning of the tradition,” he said.
Another speaker, Mr Phakiso Belebesi, said government interference would kill the tradition.
“Initiation and circumcision are two different things and I cannot go into details. Some of the things we can’t discuss in the presence of women and uncircumcised boys. The traditional leaders should take ownership of this Bill,” he said.
He cautioned that the Bill as it stands, puts the government in a collision course with the people.
“We will never be white people. We should avoid any attempts to adopt white traditions. We have our own traditions and cultures and we must respect those. Women should not be part of this gathering, they have no role whatsoever in this.”
Other issues that people raised was the assessment of amakhankatha (traditional nurses), stiff penalties for illegal practitioners, drugs in the schools, role of chiefs, and the age of initiates.
Speakers indicated that the challenge is not the circumcision but the after-care of the initiates.
Chief Ranuga of amaMpondomise said the Bill did not address the challenges in initiation schools. “This Bill is problematic, the tradition is being killed systematically,” he said.
He said aligning initiations period with school holidays was problematic and was indicative that the drafters of the Bill knew nothing about initiation.
The committee is on its second day of conducting public hearings into the Customary Initiation Bill. The hearings will move to Kokstad on Wednesday.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Richard Mdakane, said the inputs would enrich the process of finalising the Bill.
By Sibongile Maputi
14 August 2018
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