Since the beginning of the
circumcision period, newspapers have been headlining the counts of deaths
within this tradition. With all the secrecy around the custom, it is not clear
what the actual causes of the deaths are-but speculations arise that some
initiates have died due to assault, dehydration and negligence. As the
initiation season draws to an end, others will have to face the consequences of
this practice with amputated genitals, while other families have to deal with
the loss of their loved ones. The Nelson Mandela Bay has however escaped the
annual scourge of botched circumcisions, but it lost young talent in the name
of tradition. I came across an article featured in The Herald today about Sthandiwe Lingani and I found myself
questioning the process of this so-called convention. What measures can be done
to make this custom safe without altering it? With the Eastern Cape Municipal
Executive Director for Public Health Dr. Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni urging young men
to go to the clinic before entering an initiation school can we say that
something is really being done to solve this problem?
-By Andisiwe Mtengwane
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