The tug-of-war between traditional circumcision-school owners and the government over the operation of these schools in South Africa continues.

The government fired the first salvo in 2022 when the Department of Health issued a directive requiring all boys attending traditional initiation schools to undergo medical check-ups at hospitals to determine if they are healthy enough to go to the mountains.

Traditional healers also entered the fray, warning the government against attempting to govern the country’s culture and traditions.

Recently, the government issued another directive, stating that all individuals involved in overseeing initiates at traditional circumcision schools, known as Vhadabe, must first be screened for criminal records at police stations.

Seasoned traditional surgeon and circumcision school owner Mmbangiseni Mutavhatsindi said the instruction did not concern school owners but was instead directed at the Vhadabe. “This is just one of the requirements when applying to operate a traditional school. It is very clear that they know nothing about how traditional circumcision schools function. We only meet the guardians of the initiates (Vhadabe) when they bring the boys to the mountain schools,” he said.

He urged the government to stop interfering in matters they did not understand.

Mutavhatsindi began circumcising boys in their passage to manhood when he was 11 years old, in 1983. “Like all my other brothers, our father introduced us to this tradition when we were very, very young,” he said.

When asked whether the government’s involvement was not an attempt to save lives — given the deaths of many boys at circumcision schools around the country — he responded: “I started circumcising in 1983, and to date, no child has died under my watch. They should go to the Eastern Cape, where boys are dying — not here. The problem with our government is that it generalises everything. We cannot be blamed for problems in other regions.”

Meanwhile, Amos Phago, spokesperson for the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs in Limpopo, Basikopo Makamu, said that according to Section 21 of the Customary Initiation Act of 2021, anyone working with initiates in the mountains must not have a criminal record.

“The intention of the Act is to ensure that any caregiver, including traditional surgeons, does not pose a risk to children, especially if they have committed acts of abuse. Traditional surgeons are not exempt as they play a direct role in the mountain,” he said.

He added that this was a crucial requirement that protected children in accordance with the Bill of Rights and the Children’s Amendment Act.

“Lastly, it is a requirement that must be adhered to without fear or favour when permits are assessed in line with the Act,” he said.

He concluded by stating that any aggrieved applicant had the right to appeal to the Premier of Limpopo Province, as per Section 36 of the Customary Initiation Act.