LIVING PROOF OF SUCCESS
15 years on initiation school is head and shoulders above rest
Traumatised by his older brother being abused and tortured – and almost dying – 18-yearold Asanda Baba vowed never to go to initiation school.
Baba – then 15 – said drunk men from Ilinge township in Komani would go to the school and beat his brother if he did not know the answers to their questions.
His brother, who was 19 at the time, was the only initiate at the school. Baba said some of the beatings happened in his presence.
“I took the decision [not to go to initiation school] because I feared for my life,” Baba said.
It was only when he turned 18 and heard about an initiation school in Machibini village where the initiates were looked after by villagers, that he decided to undergo the traditional rite of passage to manhood. The school is situated about 10km from his home.
Baba said at Embo Madoda initiation school he met old people who took care of initiates and taught them how to become men.
“I am encouraged to go outside and work for my family and be a man that does not abuse women,” he said.
The Daily Dispatch visited the school where about 25 initiates were sitting in their flat, which used to be a shop but was donated to the school.
A group of old men sat in the shade, drinking water and cooldrink while initiates were preparing a meal for them.
The school has been lauded by co-operate governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa for zero deaths in its 15 years of existence.
“Back in the days, people used to go to initiation schools where boys would be kept and there was no problem of death. Now that each boy has his own hut, people take advantage and people don’t care,” Xasa said.
Machibini resident Diya Ntemkile said the school had changed the lives of many young boys in the village and surrounding areas.
“People are coming as far as Mthatha and Cape Town to come here. As the community we support the initiative and it creates jobs for locals,” he said.
Head traditional surgeon Sithembele Yamaphi, who has more than 30 years’ experience, said this was the first school in the Chris Hani region to be registered as a non-profit organisation (NPO).
“We have permanently employed five traditional nurses and we also have people that look into the diet of these initiates,” he said.
Yamaphi said he opened the school after realising that traditional nurses were not doing their job.
“I opened the school to look after initiates myself. We give the boys normal food and water so that they heal fast, unlike those who are eating dry food,” Yamaphi said.
He said the school promoted proper hygiene and worked closely with local doctors.
“The school has three traditional surgeons and before we perform any circumcision, we start by introducing the initiate to our ancestors to connect them with his. One of the surgeons is my younger brother Manelisi who started working in 2003,” he said.
The chief traditional leader, Thobile Ganto, said he was the one calling the shots at the school. No one gets inside or leaves without his knowledge.
“I have more than 30 years experience and working with these boys is an honour,” he said.