The Kouga Municipalities has joined with traditional surgeons and nurses, the Department of Health and non-government organisations got together recently in Humansdorp last week to assess local readiness for the male initiation season.
The session was facilitated by the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders (ECHOTL), which also presented the new legislation governing the custom.
Chief Executive Officer of the ECHOTL, Mzwethemba Nkantsu, presented the Eastern Cape Customary Male Initiation Practice Act No 5 of 2016, which was signed into law by Premier Phumulo Masualle in December.
Kouga Speaker Horatio Hendricks thanked the ECHOTL for the initiative and encouraged all stakeholders to work together for a successful season.
“The custom forms a central part of some of our communities and, therefore, deserves to be treated with respect by all involved. It is our desire as Kouga that our children are brought back safely and that we do not hear any of the unfortunate stories that we sometimes read about,” he said.
Also confirming its commitment to the process was a committee of traditional surgeons and nurses in Kouga. The chairperson said they were ready for the upcoming initiation season and lauded their members for sticking to a strict peer review programme.