Traditional leaders urge lockdown compliance
The Mpumalanga Provincial House of Traditional Leaders (MPHTL) has urged traditional leadership and communities to comply with the level 1 lockdown regulations that prohibit initiation schools and cultural ceremonies.
MBOMBELA – Initiation schools and cultural ceremonies were among the major functions that were prohibited during the outbreak of the coronavirus in March this year.
The decision was applauded as a major step to reduce Covid-19 infections.
The chairperson of the provincial house, Inkhosi Sandile Ngomane, said any decision to open initiation schools in Mpumalanga may contribute to a rise in infections.
“The pandemic has left a trail of devastation since the outbreak. The prohibition of initiation schools and cultural ceremonies has been hailed as one of the major steps to prevent the spread of the virus. “We urge amakhosi, initiation school owners and communities in general to exercise patience until it is safe to open the schools,” Ngomane pleaded.
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He continued by saying that like the rest of the country, Mpumalanga is on the edge regarding the projected outcome of the second wave of infections.
He urged traditional leadership to encourage communities within their jurisdiction to continue wearing face masks at all times, sanitise or wash hands and to maintain social distancing.
“The prohibition of initiation schools and cultural functions is one of the powerful tools used to fight against the spread of the virus. The practice of initiations is a pride that we will defend as traditional leadership. Cultural ceremonies are a knowledge sharing platform for our cultural practice, however, until it is safe to host these functions, we reiterate the president’s call for all of us to make immense sacrifices in an effort to save lives by adhering to the objectives of the prohibition,” Ngomane said.
He said it is inspiring that more than 90 per cent of people have recovered from the virus in Mpumalanga and as such, it must be a cause for celebration rather than stigmatisation.
He added that such gains may be reversed if the prohibition of initiation schools and cultural ceremonies is not complied with. Ngomane urged the traditional leadership to participate in Mpumalanga’s ward-based Covid-19 forums and to support the behavioural change campaign, Siyayinqoba Sisonkhe.
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