Clean bill of health crucial before circumcision – surgeon
Parents who want their sons to attend initiation school and undergo traditional circumcision are urged to take their sons for a medical check-up ahead of time in order to avoid casualties later
POLOKWANE – This was the advice from Mogalakwena initiation school surgeon, Dr Scotch Malesela.
“Bring them to me, or another doctor like me in May just before the schools open,” he said.
“Parents can bring their sons for medical check-ups to ensure they are healthy prior to them attending initiation school.”
He explained there were some medical conditions such as epilepsy and asthma that could prevent a boy from successfully participating in some rituals that involved fire and water.
The do’s and don’ts
According to Malesela, the initiation school could not be completed successfully without such elements if he was not prepared.
“If a boy is an epileptic or asthmatic, we can come up with the best way to handle this when he is in the bush of handling that in the bush.
“Parents must provide medication for their sons. We must avoid the tendency to admit boys to initiation school for the sake of money, without considering the condition of his health first. Ignoring this is dangerous and can cause casualties,” Malesela warned.
“I will only circumcise those with a clean bill of health. If a strange boy presents himself for circumcision, I will not do so without his parents’ or guardian’s consent,” he added.
He further said parents should also ensure their sons ate a healthy, balanced diet.
Malesela also spoke out against illegal initiation schools where, according to him, initiates’ lives were put at risk when unqualified people performed circumcisions.
The Initiation Schools Bill
The Initiation Schools Bill that was gazetted in 2014 states, among other things, that the principal of an initiation school must keep an updated attendance register of all initiates and keep a copy of the approved application form in his possession.
According to the bill, no initiation school may operate within a 5 km radius of a housing settlement.
The bill further states no alcohol or any form of drugs or intoxicating substances are allowed at an initiation school.
No “visibly intoxicated” person is allowed at the initiation school or to handle the initiates.
The Chairperson of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Chief Malesela Dikgale, said no person will be allowed to have an initiation school without a valid permit issued to him or her in terms of Section 2 (1) of the Northern Province Circumcision Schools Act No. 6 of 1996.
He said no traditional surgeon or any other unauthorised person is allowed to perform rituals in an initiation school without a certificate of fitness issued for this purpose, by a registered medical practitioner authorised by the Premier of the province, in terms of Section 3 (1) of Initiation Schools Regulations of 2003.
