E. Cape to act after death of Xhosa initiates

Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa). Monday, 22 July 1996.

Anonymous

Govt White Paper on circumcision ritual

A task team appointed by the government to investigate circumcision rituals said their work should not be seen as an attempt to undermine respected African traditions, reports Sapa.

Fifty-three youngsters from the Lusikisiki area were admitted to hospital last week after botched circumcision rituals.

The rural town of Lusikisiki in the former Transkei is alarmed by the deaths of the four - and has called an urgent meeting to prevent further fatalities, BronwenRoberts reports.

Town mayor Dr Prince Mangcotywa said there had been a crisis in fatalities and infections of the boys.

He told Ecna that parents, health authorities, local government and traditional healers would meet early this week to find ways of ensuring the next group of initiates, in the December school holidays, would not be similarly affected.

Dr Mangcotywa said the infections were likely to have been caused while the boys' wounds were being dressed and not during the circumcision procedure itself.

He said traditional nurses put new dressings on the penises every day and this was when dust and bugs often infected the wounds.

Traditional nurses sometimes used cloth or green leaves and string to dress the wounds.

He said while most boys fell ill because of infection, some suffered pneumonia and complications arising frompoor nutrition.

One of those who died apparently did so when air mixed with blood in the boy's lungs after his fractured ribs were not treated properly.

Dr Mangcotywa said Lisikisiki had never had problems with circumcisions before and these only started last year, whentwo young initiates died.

He estimated that roughly 200 boys were circumcised this season, with most of them going to hospitals for the operation and only going to the bush for the final ceremony.

All boys wanted to be circumcised to prove their manhood, but only those who could get parental permission were going to hospital for the operation.

Provincial health department media officer Khulukile Bata said the government established a special unit last year that toured rural areas checking traditional circumcision procedures.

He said initiates hid away, which sometimes made it difficult for the unit to find them. - Ecna

White Paper - under the Westminster system proposed legislation published for comment.

traditional surgeons, nurses - polite speak for the untrained men and boys who perform the operations and tend the initiates. No women are traditionally allowed at the ceremonies and it is the custom for initiates to be attended by young boys who look after their food, run errands and dress the wounds. There may be an attempt here to obfusticate what actually took place and to shift blame away from the custom and those who implement it to the nurses who may be untrained minors. What is not explained is why one young man had fractured ribs and why the two deaths last year did not lead to stricter hygienic measures. Nor can the fact that a possible 25% of the initiates have had serious health problems be explained. Again the references to initiates hiding away and the possible failure of parents to allow boys to be circumcised at hospitals may only be part of the truth.

Citation:

Anonymous. E. Cape to act after death of Xhosa initiates. East Province Herald (Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa). 1996-07-22

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