While the debate is continuing about the future of traditional circumcision schools in South Africa, following reports of a high number of deaths in the Eastern Cape due to botched operations, the majority of people in Limpopo still support the age-old practice.

Limpopo people, young and old, believe the “Eastern Cape is experiencing problems because they stage their schools during summer and winter instead of doing it in winter, like we do.”

One of the senior traditional leaders in Venda, Chief Takalani Manenzhe, says: “I suspect there are lot of illegal initiation schools in Eastern Cape. There must be a serious monitoring of initiation schools there like we do here,” says Manenzhe, a graduate himself who also stages schools in his area, Ha-Manenzhe.

Chief Vusani Netshimbupfe, chairperson of The Task Team on the Initiation School in Limpopo, says: “There was no single death report in Limpopo from 62 initiation schools that were staged recently.” However, Netshimbupfe could not confirm the number of students who had attended the school this year as he was still waiting for the correct figure from Capricorn district and Sekhukhune. “We had 900 initiates from Vhembe and 2 000 from Mopani. There was no initiation school from Waterberg as they did not apply. Although I do not have the figure of initiates who attended at Capricorn and Sekhukhune, I can confirm that we had a total of 62 schools around the province and there was no single death reported,” says Netshimbupfe proudly.

However, Netshimbupfe says they had fewer initiation schools this year compared to last year. “Last year, we had 325 initiation schools around the province and we also had 32 000 initiates. In 2009, we had a death record of six initiates which was caused by excessive bleeding and pneumonia,” says Netshimbupfe. According to him, the staging of the Soccer World Cup affected the number of schools staged this year.

Netshimbupfe attributed the success at their initiation schools in the province to proper control of owners by relevant stakeholders.

“According to our Limpopo Circumcision Schools Act, circumcision surgeon must all pass a medication test conducted by a trained medical doctor, because he is given a certificate to initiate children over the age of 12. “We try by all means that all people who do not qualify to tun the schools are not given permission, but some still undermines our rules.

“However, our act says a person can be sent to prison for 12 months or receive a fine of R2 000 if found guilty of undermining our rules,” says Netshimbupfe, who is heading a task team that includes the Premier’s office and department of health and traditional leaders as the custodians of circumcision schools. Shadrack Mposa, 13, who graduated from an initiation school that was staged at Madimbo village in Mutale, Venda, on Sunday, July 11, says he is happy that he attended the school. Mposa, a grade seven leaner at Saint Martin, Happa Mine, in Musina, says he requested his parents to give him permission to attend the school because he wanted to go there. “I am very happy that I went there and graduated. I would not feel like a man if I did not go there, but now I am proud that went through the same process that my father and forefathers had gone through,” says Mposa during his home-welcoming ceremony held at Matswale, Musina on Sunday.

Another graduate, Joseph Munzhelele, 12, of Madimbo village, says he is also happy that he attended the school. Munzhelele, who also attended the school voluntarily after getting the permission from his parents, says: “I am ready for the educational school programme after graduating from the initiation school." Munzhelele says he can also advise his own child to go to the initiation school when he grows up.

One of the older graduates, Mulalo Munzhelele, 22, says: “Our circumcision schools are very safe because they are staged by experienced people who know their job.” One of the circumcision surgeons, Ndivhuwo Nephawe, 38, from Ha-Matsa, in Nzhelele, Venda, says: “Circumcision schools are part of our culture. I graduated from this school in 1978. I started staging my own school in 2000 and I have staged five schools so far." He added that he had operated on more than 6 000 initiates in his schools and there was no single death in one of them.

Nephawe says a good working relationship between initiation school owners, traditional leaders and government is the key for success in Limpopo.