IN CONVERSATION WITH NTHABISENG MOKHACHANE
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Illegal initiation schools have become prevalent in many parts of South Africa over the past few years. Recently, there have been widespread media reports and public outrage over associated atrocities and fatalities experienced by young men and boys caused by botched circumcisions.
These are often assumed to result from unregulated practitioners running illegal initiation schools, operating despite the existence of national and provincial legislation regulating traditional circumcision. These pieces of legislation are aimed at regulating the operations of all legal initiation schools, while outlawing those which do not conform to requirements. Male circumcision is performed throughout the world for medical, ritual, traditional, and cosmetic reasons. It is estimated that 33.3% of men worldwide have undergone circumcision
.1 The ritual of circumcision and the initiation as a rite of passage into manhood are ancient practices which are commonly practiced throughout the world and within different African countries, including South Africa. Locally, different tribes have different naming conventions for this practice, and follow different customary principles in executing the practice. For example, the amaXhosa call it ‘ulwaluko,’, the VhaVenda call it ‘u wela’, the BaSotho, ‘ho wela’; each of which means ‘crossing-over’. Traditional male circumcision is regarded as a sacred and compulsory cultural rite of passage in many cultures, intended to prepare initiates for the responsibility of manhood. Figuratively, circumcision is both the ‘death’ of a boy and the ‘birth’ of a man, and is therefore a necessary part of the passage from boyhood to manhood.
These are often assumed to result from unregulated practitioners running illegal initiation schools, operating despite the existence of national and provincial legislation regulating traditional circumcision. These pieces of legislation are aimed at regulating the operations of all legal initiation schools, while outlawing those which do not conform to requirements. Male circumcision is performed throughout the world for medical, ritual, traditional, and cosmetic reasons. It is estimated that 33.3% of men worldwide have undergone circumcision
.1 The ritual of circumcision and the initiation as a rite of passage into manhood are ancient practices which are commonly practiced throughout the world and within different African countries, including South Africa. Locally, different tribes have different naming conventions for this practice, and follow different customary principles in executing the practice. For example, the amaXhosa call it ‘ulwaluko,’, the VhaVenda call it ‘u wela’, the BaSotho, ‘ho wela’; each of which means ‘crossing-over’. Traditional male circumcision is regarded as a sacred and compulsory cultural rite of passage in many cultures, intended to prepare initiates for the responsibility of manhood. Figuratively, circumcision is both the ‘death’ of a boy and the ‘birth’ of a man, and is therefore a necessary part of the passage from boyhood to manhood.
