All boys undergoing initiation during the summer initiation period will have to produce mandatory negative COVID-19 test certificates as part of the health screening process prior to circumcision.
This was announced by the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) as emanating from a two-day provincial initiation task team meeting held at the Savoy Hotel in Mthatha on November 3 and 4.
The provincial initiation task team is a multi-stakeholder committee formed in line with the Customary Male Initiation Practice Act and made up of members from the provincial district municipalities and metropolitan municipalities, COGTA, Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, Department of Education, Department of Health, National Prosecuting Authority, South African Police Service, and various civic organisations involved in the initiation practice.
“We can confidently declare, as the provincial government, that we are ready and well prepared for the summer initiation season. We have formulated a risk adjusted strategy for the summer initiation period that we have presented to government, which speaks to adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines,” said provincial COGTA spokesperson, Mamkeli Ngam, at the conclusion of the two-day meeting.
“As part of our risk-adjusted strategy, the provincial initiation task team has issued a directive that all boys who will be undergoing the customary male initiation practice will have to produce a negative COVID-19 test as part of the health screening process, while also highly recommending to would-be initiates to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as vaccines have been made available to people 18 years old and younger,” Ngam added.
He warned that random visits to initiation schools would be undertaken by the monitoring teams across the province and if initiates are found to be without necessary documentation, including the negative COVID-19 test certificate, they would be immediately moved to the nearest hospital.
Ngam further issued an appeal to parents, civic society including religious leaders and political formations, to play an active role to report and curb the mushrooming of illegal initiation schools.
The Eastern Cape summer initiation season will run over a two-month period from November 12 to January 12, 2022.
