The Lowveld region once again hosted another successful initiation school (ingoma) with no incidents reported.
More than 6 000 young boys and girls left their homes in June from various areas in the Lowveld and outside the province for the mountains and all made it back home healthy on August 3 and 10 respectively.
The national president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa and leader of the provincial House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, Kgoshi Mathupha Mokoena, applauded the traditional leaders who hosted the ingoma under their tribes for abiding by the law by making sure that they send all the initiates home safely, healthy and, most importantly, alive. Mokoena was speaking at the mass ingoma celebration that was held at Marite in August before the children were sent home.
“What makes us happy is that we did not have any incidents at the initiation schools; all the owners adhered to the rules and regulations of the ingoma. No abuse was reported at any school. I would like to thank all the people who were involved, especially the parents who trusted us with their kids. I must also commend all who came down to celebrate this culture with us for making it a success and behaving on the road as there was no accident reported in connection with the ingoma,” he said.
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He added that this tradition will not fade away in the Lowveld, because the people of this area, Bushbuckridge, enjoy it a lot. He also said this year alone, more than 50 000 people descended on the area to celebrate the initiation of the children at their homes with their families. He requested that the schools accommodate the learners who were at the ingoma so they could catch up with their schoolwork.
One of the school owners in Bushbuckridge, Member Mokoena, told this publication that the area is well known for hosting safe and incident-free ingoma. He had more than 50 initiates, who all went home safely. He also said the custom is not about making money or getting people drunk; it’s all about teaching young boys to be real men who respect elders and women, while girls are taught how to be women of dignity who respect themselves and other people.
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“We also try to bring people together and enjoy our culture, because during this season we have a lot of people coming to our area – more than those who come during the festive season,” Mokoena said.
