Pretoria - The Men’s Sector of the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) has called for the fast tracking of legislation related to the governance and management of traditional initiation schools across the country.
This follows the death of 27 young men at initiation sites in the past two weeks in the Nkangala district towns of Evander, Middelburg, Belfast, Kwaggafontein, Siyabuswa, Verena and KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga province.
“For far too long, the deaths of young initiates at traditional initiation schools have gone neglected and this approach is unacceptable,” said SANAC Men’s Sector chairperson, Bafana Khumalo.
A concerned Khumalo said the proud heritage of an age-old African practice was being undermined by the continuous unnecessary loss of lives of young boys, particularly in an era where there were readily available medical technologies that allow for safe circumcisions with minimal side-effects.
“To condone the preventable death of a healthy child to continue unchallenged in this day and age in the name of culture is frankly unacceptable and borders on being barbaric.
“Although issues surrounding culture remain sensitive, they cannot be at the expense of the avoidable deaths of young innocent boys.
“It has become clear that the value of the African child is being undermined in the name of cultural practice. It is time for government, traditional leaders and parents to take a firm stand to put an end to these shameful murders of innocent young boys in the name of cultural practice.”
The Men’s Sector has joined the many voices condemning the deaths, and has welcomed the condemnation from the Presidency.
SANAC CEO Dr Fareed Abdullah said although the Men’s Sector has welcomed the opening of murder cases related to the deaths of the initiates, the sector’s primary interest was in the prevention of the loss of the lives of young boys.
“The loss of such a large number of lives of young men in the prime of their lives is nothing short of a national tragedy. Whilst we think of the grief of the families of these young men, we must also think about who was responsible and how they will be held accountable. We welcome the police investigation and ask that justice be served swiftly,” said Dr Abdullah.
He also challenged health authorities in Mpumalanga to act speedily to ensure that effective measures are in place to prevent more deaths.
“This must include concluding negotiations with the traditional leaders about ensuring that circumcisions are done with the highest safety standards.
“This is not merely an agreement between the provincial health authorities and the traditional authorities, but a common understanding of the laws under which we all must live, and the necessary steps the provincial legislature must take to address conflicting or contradictory laws.”
The Men’s Sector wants an immediate suspension of all the affected initiation schools in Mpumalanga; a comprehensive investigation into the causes of deaths of the initiates, and that the investigation comes up with recommendations for all government-registered initiation sites in South Africa to eliminate future deaths.
It also called on the leadership in Mpumalanga to provide the necessary guidance to ensure that this does not happen again.
Abdullah said from the point of view of HIV prevention, medical male circumcision was a proven effective intervention that reduced HIV infection in men by up to 60%, if done properly.
He said the danger now was that young men would be discouraged from choosing this health option that is very beneficial to their health.
“Unless we comprehensively address this issue, we will lose a critical opportunity to successfully implement one of the few proven HIV prevention interventions available to us,” said Abdullah.
He clarified that the position taken by the Men’s Sector was not by any means an attack on culture or tradition.
“On the contrary, the Men’s Sector fully supports and encourages the traditional practice of initiation ceremonies, as they complement programmes implemented by the sector and play an important role in moral regeneration, especially in our society that is often said to be plagued by ‘moral decay’.
“The attack is precisely on the unnecessary loss of lives of young African boys, and this is a position that should attract consensus and solidarity between government, traditional leaders, civil society and parents.”
Abdullah said the Men’s Sector was also concerned about the safety of young men from contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through unsafe and unhygienic practices at traditional initiation schools.
Abdullah also extended the Men’s Sector’s deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost a loved one.
“The death of the 27 innocent young boys will not be in vain, as we take the vow that a tragedy of this nature will never happen again.” – SAnews.gov.za
