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WE'RE MEN: Chief Tshwale (second from left) is flanked by initiates, Edward Baloyi, 65, Stephen Sefofa, 50, and John Chavalala, 64 PHOTO: FRANK MAPONYA

 Chief happy that grown men attended 

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The initiates, who included 65-year-old Edward Baloyi, were warmly welcomed back home with song and dance by excited community members.

A positive factor in this year's initiations is that there were no casualties.

Some of the initiates came from as far as KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

The Mpepule school, situated in the bush near the idyllic village, was officially closed last Friday to allow school-going initiates to return home and be ready for the reopening of schools on Monday.

For Baloyi "the past years have been very hard because deep down I did not feel like a grown man. I had not graduated into manhood".

"I'm very happy that I have finally made it into manhood," he said.

"From now on I can associate with real men. I will no longer be treated like a young man."

Self-proclaimed king of kwasa-kwasa dance Stephen Sefofa, 50, popularly known as Malo-a-Botsheba, was also among those who graduated from the Mpepule school.

"It was a gratifying experience to be part of the whole initiation ritual.

"I'm happy to have finally graduated into manhood," Sefofa said.

Local Mpepule chief Kgoshi Moloko Tshwale, who ran a successful initiation school for the second time, could not hide his excitement.

"The past four weeks have been hectic," he noted. "Running an initiation school is not an easy task but I am happy there were no casualties."

Tshwale was impressed by the fact that even grown men saw the need to go to the mountain school in order to gain passage into manhood.

He said he was doubly happy because his school had attracted initiates from other villages that had schools. He said he owed his success to the fact that he treated the initiates "like my own children".

Tshwale first ran an initiation school in 2009, two years after his inauguration as Mpepule chief.

His said his initial intake was 703 initiates. - frankm@sowetan.co.za

Comments

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Sat May 25 22:31:18 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 19, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

Good the survuvors, please stay the helll away from our woman!
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Jul 19, 2012

Mas-culin

It's good that no one died...

masculinnkosi_gmail
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Jul 19, 2012

khotsiarendi

wonderful..no 1 dies in this province becos we dont take it as a business like some provincies. i went to the mountain 15 yrs ago when i was 12 and we only paid R10 and now its like R100 but go 2 EC you have to fock out minimun 1000....no wonder ancestors punish them
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Jul 19, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

khotsiarendi
Stop triabalising this mountain issues and looking down at other people like the EC schools, you might have been at the mountains but it seems as if you forgot the teachings, RESPECT OTHERS PLEASE!!!
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Jul 19, 2012

Memme

Limpopo respects culture and always invite the ancestors in everything they do ---- which is why the initiation ritual was a succes...
Only if other provinces can do the same we would not loose boys due to initiation schools.

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Jul 19, 2012

truthhurt

Mas-culin
It's good that no one died...

====================================================
Are you sure?
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Jul 19, 2012

khotsiarendi

MorenaWaPolelo

it true bro..this thing wasnt meant for business. i've been living with Xhosa people for Ten years now and to the local chief its a serious business. so please dont get worked up its just an article.
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Jul 19, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

khotsiarendi
Cool if you see it that way!
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Jul 19, 2012

ntshware-ke-yawa

what a number,947,lol.
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Jul 19, 2012

Lesoba-Le-Boya

Good work indeed, Pele ya Pele Banna...
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