I have been writing for years about the disaster that is the SA initiation school, where young men go into the bush to be circumcised.
Where in this modern world would you have dozens of young men losing their lives or their manhoods each year through botched circumcisions?
It is unbelievable that government hasn’t stepped in. The latest stats from the winter initiation schools is nine deaths, including a six-year-old boy! I thought this was supposed to be their entrance into manhood? Why are small boys now being circumcised at these schools?
Somehow it is left to the traditional leaders, who do absolutely nothing to stop this slaughter.
What can this teach anyone about becoming a man except to make them angry?
Congress of Traditional Leaders president Kgoshi Mathupa Mokoena was asked in a media interview a few years back why things don’t change. His answer was that “it makes some people happy because they hate this culture but this culture is here to stay”.
Other cultures have similar customs, but you never hear of Jews or Muslims dying due to botched circumcisions. Something is radically wrong with the practice in SA.
What an indictment of our country. There are modern technologies that allow secure shelter, adequate hydration and safe circumcisions, but this is simply ignored.
It is time for parents to take a firm stand and refuse to send their sons to these schools until the traditional leaders have sorted this out. It is a total disgrace.
Barbie Sandler
Constantia
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