Fourteen initiates have been rescued from an illegal initiation school in Mqanduli, and four traditional nurses and two parents were arrested in Buffalo City metro and the Mhlontlo municipality for flouting the lockdown regulations.

The initiates had gone to the mountain in spite of this being banned by President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 27. 

OR Tambo traditional initiation forum chair Nkosi Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo said none of the Mqanduli initiates could provide any required documentation for them to be circumcised. “They just did not have any official documents, including screening test results,” he said.

“Upon their rescue at Lower Nenga village, they were taken to a rescue centre in Ngcwanguba village, where a very experienced ikhankatha (traditional nurse) will look after them until they have completed their initiation stage.”

Without documents, no young boy was eligible to undergo the old-age rite of ulwaluko (circumcision), he said.

Dudumayo said three traditional nurses and a parent had been arrested in Gabazi village in Mhlontlo municipality.

Provincial Cogta spokesperson Mamnkeli Ngam said another traditional nurse and a parent had been arrested in Buffalo City for violating lockdown regulations.

He said the arrests had been made on Friday after a visit to initiation schools by Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha.

“People know what to do, and those who break the law will be arrested,” he said. “The MEC appreciates the support from communities and parents who continuously phone in to seek advice and guidance.

“The situation now with Covid-19 and the level 4 national lockdown is beyond the control of the province.”

Provincial police spokesperson Brig Tembinkosi Kinana also confirmed the arrests of the traditional nurses and a parent in the Tina Falls area near Qumbu for contravening regulations. He said those arrested would appear in court today.

Sowetan's sister publication, The Dispatch, reported last week that the national government had suspended the custom of ulwaluko after Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday night when he moved the country back to an adjusted level 4 national lockdown.

This essentially meant that young boys who were hoping to undergo initiation would have to put their plans on hold.

However, those already at initiation schools would be allowed to continue to the end, even though festivities like the homecoming imigidi would not be permitted as all indoor and outdoor gatherings, including cultural, religious and political meetings, are not allowed.

The winter initiation period, which effectively started on June 11, was set to end on July 30.