Thabo Mofutsanyana gears up for initiation season

Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality is hoping to build on the success of the last initiation season as it looks forward to yet another death-free season. The 2016 initiation season starts later this month.

This success was attributed to the good working relations between initiation school owners and the department of health. The district comprises six local municipalities, Setsoto, Mantsopa, Dihlabeng, Maluti-A-Phofung, Nketoana and Phumulela.

The environmental health officer responsible for initiation schools in Thabo Mofutsanyana, Lebohang Sello, has commended the traditional healers and owners of initiations for understanding their responsibilities and obligations to curb deaths.

“We are winning the fight against deaths in the initiations, where initiates would die because of assaults or delays in seeking medical attention. Traditional healers understand that there are certain illness and complications that can only be treated by modern health practitioners.

“We work closely with the owners of initiation schools, police, parents and their traditional healers; this cooperation has yielded good results.

“When there is a medical problem in an initiation school, owners call a mobile clinic and such initiates are treated without compromising tradition and culture.

“A child must undergo a mandatory medical examination to establish his fitness before being admitted to an initiation school. Those who are on medication but fit enough to be initiated are encouraged to take along enough supplies to last the initiation period.”

Sello said awareness campaigns that are conducted ahead of the initiation season are also responsible for the success.

“Initiation school owners know what they have to do to prevent diseases like diarrhoea. Each initiate must have a 25litre bucket of purified water; he must not be less than 16 years; and each school is not allowed to take more than initiates.”

A coordinator of initiation schools in Thabo Mofutsanyana who is also responsible for issuance of initiation application forms, Sajene Mofokeng, said initiation committees in the six local municipalities, had also played a pivotal role in monitoring and enforcing compliance.

“Owners of initiation schools also have to meet certain requirements. They must be South African citizens aged above; they must have 10 years’ experience as an instructor; and they must demonstrate capacity to feed initiates for the entire duration of the initiation.

“We are already convening public gathering and sensitising owners of the initiations schools, traditional leaders and the police about the guidelines of acceptable initiation practices. Local clinics will be available for medical examination of boys and girls going to initiations schools.

“The children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The initiation application form must be signed by a nurse who has examined the child, the parent giving consent and the owner of the initiation school.”