While customary initiation in the Western Cape is still suspended under the adjusted Alert Level 3 regulations (promulgated under the Disaster Management Act), the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) has proactively been engaging with traditional leaders in preparation and to ensure readiness for when the sacred rite of passage in the Western Cape is given the green light by the national government.
The main aim of the ongoing engagements since December 2020 was to consultatively share perspectives on the roadmap leading to the finalization of the draft COVID-19 initiation sites Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and protocols as provided by traditional leaders and compiled by the DCAS, within the relevant legislative framework and mandatory health protocols.
Considering the COVID-19 situation during this period, other initiatives of the Department: such as the training of initiation stakeholders and as consultations are still currently underway, the following have been proposed:
Date | Activity | Number of Cultural Practioners | Breakdown of particpants |
16/02/2021 | Session with Nguni traditional leaders and Somagwaza Institute to discuss in detail the contents of the Draft SOP’s. | ||
18/02/2021 | Province-wide session of relevant stakeholders to elicit inputs of all stakeholders | ||
06/03/2021 | Training: Central Karoo & Garden Route | 45 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
07/03/2021 | Training: Central Karoo & Garden Route | 45 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
13/03/2021 | Training: Cape Metro | 40 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
14/03/2021 | Training: Cape Metro | 40 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
20/03/2021 | Training: Cape Winelands | 45 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
21/03/2021 | Training: Cape Winelands | 45 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
27/03/2021 | Training: Overberg & West Coast | 30 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
28/03/2021 | Training: Overberg & West Coast | 30 | Traditional surgeons / carers / Members of Initiation Forums |
The above is based on regulations as they currently stand and is subject to change in the event that additional regulations come into fruition, e.g. hotspot regulations, or the current rate of infection persists for longer.
As we have been called to avoid all non-essential gatherings, particularly those which are indoors, we have proposed a hybrid meeting schedule so that those who can participate virtually are encouraged to do so in order to limit contact so that we stop the spread and can safely move forward.
Minister Anroux Marais said, “It is vitally important to incorporate our traditional leaders’ inputs into forging our new norm for the practice of initiation in the province. We wholeheartedly thank them for their valuable contribution to the draft protocols and SOPs needed to safely move forward in the sector, once given the national green light. We look forward to continuing our consultative engagements with traditional leaders and stakeholders to ensure an effective rite of passage practice and an enabling environment once it is safe to do so”.