Traditional leaders slam ‘lack of consultation’
THE Western Cape Nguni traditional leadership has accused the provincial government of allowing and prioritising events known for spreading Covid-19 while they suspended the summer initiation season.
This after Sports and Cultural Affairs MEC Anroux Marais announced the suspension of the summer initiation season last week, citing the resurgence of positive Covid-19 cases in the province.
Contralesa chairperson Chief Lungelo Nokwaza wrote a letter to Premier Alan Winde requesting him to reconsider the cabinet decision to suspend the season. They also urged him to meet the leadership to rescue the “untenable” situation.
Nokwaza said the cabinet, in taking the decision, was misled in believing that there was meaningful consultation with initiation forums across the province.
“The Nguni traditional leadership in the Western Cape put on record that there has been no meaningful consultation of initiation forums other than the venting of varied opinions by a WhatsApp group administered by Clement Williams, who pronounced long before the announcement of the MEC that there was no initiation this year because of the coronavirus. The assertion that there were other stakeholders consulted is devoid of any truth,” he said.
Somagwaza Institute chairperson Sikelela Zokufa said the provincial government instead allowed for the reopening of interprovincial borders and nightclubs, which carried higher risks of spreading the virus compared to the initiation. Zokufa said numerous traditional surgeons and carers depended on the customs as their means of income, adding that none of them received a social relief grant.
Winde said he noted the concerns raised and has referred them to the MEC for further engagement. However, he said the regulations had been implemented by the national government, and that the group “would be best placed to engage with them on their specific concerns regarding the regulations as they currently stand”.
Cultural Affairs and Sport department spokesperson Tania Colyn said factors such as the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the province and inputs from initiation forums and traditional surgeons were considered.