Just a few weeks after the opening of the summer initiation season, at least eight initiates have already died in the Eastern Cape.
This has somehow become a norm. Every season we get initiation casualties in that province. This is the province that is perceived as the custodian of this culture.
I fail to understand why there are still children who die in the bush while the provincial government has invested so much to curb the deaths.
Who do we blame for the death of these children now?
In my opinion the government has nothing to do with the death of the initiates. I blame the parents and the community for not taking full responsibility for their children. I don’t want to mention certain regions or areas where these casualties are likely to happen, but still the community is turning a blind eye. If the number of deceased initiates is already sitting at eight that means by the end of this season we will most likely have over 20 deaths.
There are certain things that I fail to understand when I listen to people talk about the challenges. One of them is unknown traditional surgeons who carry out this process.
At times, I feel like the community is playing games here. How can the traditional surgeon not be known by the community, but known by the boys?
How did these boys get to know this is the right person to do the job?
Last weekend I watched another parent from Pheni township in Mthatha whose child died in the bush. She denied any knowledge about the traditional surgeon who circumcised her son.
In my understanding, ingcibi is one of the prominent people in our communities and is known by everyone. He is known by women. My question is who took the children to the initiation school?
As I said, ingcibi is a well-known person and his job is not a secret. When I grew up, in my hometown, Engcobo in another village opposite mine, there was a traditional surgeon called Noguxu. We were scared of him. We didn’t go near his home. Even our parents used to threaten to take us to stay with him if we did not listen. And no one wanted to go there.
You’d find that there were boys who came all the way from Dutywa, Cala, Cofimvaba, Tsolo, Mthatha etc. Almost the whole former Transkei knew him. That is why I get confused when the parents say they don’t know the traditional surgeon in their village?
And the second thing that I believe has an impact on their dying, which health professionals always mention, is that the boys get dehydrated. We need to compromise a bit and amend some of the practises in the bush. Just imagine not drinking water for eight days.
It is not a child’s play. The first week in the bush is so crucial. This current generation is going to the bush at an early age and they are also very fragile. The only difference between now and then is that those born before the 90s were strong and they could stand for anything.
The current generation is another story. All I’m saying is that parents must take responsibility for their children.
We can’t keep blaming the government for everything.
