Daily Dispatch
The qualities of real manhood
EACH year during summer and winter circumcision, thousands of Eastern Cape boys leave their homes to undergo the traditional rite of passage to manhood.
It is at initiation schools that the abakhwetha undergo traditional rituals and formal teachings as they transition from boys to men.
It is an ancient practice that serves as an important part of African custom. However, for years the practice has been tainted by initiate deaths, criminal behaviour and unscrupulous traditional surgeons and nurses.
Often, the news and opinion pages of this newspaper recount the stories of initiates’ deaths – be they from natural causes or as a result of assault. The custom has now once again been brought into disrepute, but this time the initiates are the ones accused of committing a crime.
Yesterday, the Daily Dispatch reported on the arrest of three young initiates who have been charged with the murder of 59-year-old Nolulamo Faku.
She was beaten to death on Christmas Eve and her body found at an initiation school in Berlin. The accused and the victim are from the same community.
Two initiates have already appeared in court while a third one, who has also been charged, is recovering in hospital following circumcision. Two other underage initiates have meanwhile been released into the custody of their guardians while awaiting a report from the probation officer.
Those who have appeared in court will remain behind bars until their formal bail application next month.
Details and circumstances surrounding the death of Faku are not entirely clear, but one can only hope that the guilty will not escape the long arm of the law and Faku will receive justice.
Reports of abakhwetha being arrested for beating a woman to death have sent shockwaves throughout the Eastern Cape – and so they should. Any killing, regardless of who the perpetrator is, is a detestable act.
However, it is even more disturbing that the accused in this case are young men who are meant to be learning the fundamentals of what it takes to be a man.
Violence against women and children continues to be a blot on our society, with many saying the 16 Days campaign is insufficient to raise awareness and fight the scourge.
We should all be encouraging dialogue where we speak out against the brutality suffered by so many women and children in this country.
Our boys need to be educated from a young age to understand that raising a hand to a woman or child can never be an answer for anything.
They should also learn that there will be harsh consequences for their actions.
We should be having these discussions in our schools – and at initiation schools.
It is disappointing that with each circumcision season, the traditional rite is overshadowed by deaths or controversy.
A few incidents each time continue to cast a dark cloud over the entire custom, despite thousands of young men successfully making the transition to adulthood without any harm coming to anyone.