Fourteen traditional surgeons (iingcibi) and traditional nurses (amakhankhatha) in charge of the welfare of around 500 boys undergoing ulwaluko (traditional male initiation) in Ndlambe during December gathered for a pre-season briefing in Port Alfred recently. The workshop, organised by Makhi Mka, the Department of Health’s designated medical officer for traditional initiation schools in the Sarah Baartman District, followed a similar event the day before, in Makhanda.
Mka said the workshop was to remind the practitioners of the requirements of the Customary Initiation Act as well as to remind them of the good practices that have seen the Sarah Baartman District spared from the terrible deaths and injuries in other parts of the province.
Professional Nurse from the Department of Health’s Makana Subdsitrict, Lutho Mshiywa, addressed the practitioners on good hygiene, preventing dehydration and COvid-19 testing, among other aspects.
According to the Customary Initiation Act, boys must have a medical certificate to verify that they’re in good health before being allowed to start their three-week transition to manhood. One of Mka’s pre-season tasks is to visit every clinic in Makana and Ndlambe to check how many boys have been screened. The ward councillor must sign their application, and they have to provide a certified copy of their ID to prove they are 18 or older. The Act, signed into law a year ago, seeks to protect, promote and regulate customary initiation practices.
“I have also visited schools with municipal and Department of Health officials,” Mka told Talk of the Town.
The good record of the areas under Mka’s watch when it comes to the safety of initiates makes it first choice for many families in the area. Along with his professional commitment, this has been attributed to functional intergovernmental Initiation Forums, led by the municipalities in Makana and Ndlambe respectively. The Customary Initiation Act designates the Council Speaker as the coordinator of the Initiation Forums which include the departments of Social Development, Sport Arts and Culture, Education, Health and the South African Police Service.
Chairperson of the Ndlambe traditional surgeons and nurses organisation Mzamo Marwanqana said along with their experience, teamwork was the reason for the area’s good safety record.
“We take responsibility for those boys. We work as a team and we know each other,” Marwanqana said.
The prescribed ratio of amakhangatha (traditional nurses) to boys is one to 30 and their role is key in ensuring the initiates’ health and safety. Amakhankhatha and iingcibi are registered in the area where they practice.
The summer initiation season runs from the end of November to the end of December and between now and then, Mka will be inspecting 12 initiation sites, or “boundaries”: six in Makana and six in Ndlambe. Ndlambe’s five areas are Bathurst and surrounds; Port Alfred and surrounds; Kenton and surrounds; Marselle/Klipfontein and surrounds; Alexandria and surrounds; and farms.While 49 initiates died in the Eastern Cape during the December 2021 initiation season and another 8 during the 2022 season, no deaths or serious injuries have been reported in the Sarah Baartman District, including the areas under Mka’s guardianship.
