How South African boys are initiated into adulthood, an age-old subject of debate

Many South African men of the amaXhosa tribe and some Nguni speaking people have gone through the sacred Ulwaluko initiation rite which ushers boys into manhood. The ancient ritual includes traditional circumcision and weeks of seclusion to teach boys about their history, culture and responsibilities as men.

The controversial ritual has resurfaced in many communities where boys of all ages and as young as seven years old are enrolled in initiation schools at various locations during the winter season in late June/early July or late November/ early December.

The controversy is aligned with the number of deaths and accidents recorded over the years as some boys die out of botched circumcisions while others get their penises severed by incompetent practitioners at illegal initiation schools.

In December last year, 16 boys died in Eastern Cape alone at initiation school where boys are also prevented from taking Western medication or risk being stigmatized by their peers.

The boys normally go through the rite in a group and are confined to a hut in the first 7 days and restricted from eating certain foods. The second phase takes between two to three weeks when the boys are looked after by the ikhankatha (a traditional attendant) who takes them through traditional lessons during which the ingcibi (traditional surgeon) surgically removes their foreskins.

Per tradition, no one is supposed to speak of what happens at the initiation schools else they risk being assaulted. The huts and initiates’ possessions are burnt at the end of the ritual and they are given new blankets after they wash down in rivers depending on their location. They are then called men and not boys.

Regardless of the age, if an amaXhosa man does not go through the Ulwaluko initiation rite, he is still considered a boy. However, Twitter user Mmakobo Thage’s young son will not be considered a boy since he had just returned from the initiation school.

He happily tweeted: “My son was there too…came home safe”. This was in response to a tweet about the return of scores of initiates after weeks in the bush in Mpepule Village, Bolobedu Limpopo.