President Cyril Ramaphosa says government has gazetted the Customary Initiation Act regulations for public comments.
This is after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa held a meeting with relevant stakeholders last month to discuss the challenges associated with customary initiation practices.
It follows the deaths of 28 young men in the Eastern Cape during the summer initiation season.
Speaking in Cape Town at the annual opening of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San leaders, President Ramaphosa says, “We cannot as a nation of countenance, let young men come back in body bags from initiation processes. This is an important development – the process of redrafting the regulations, if we are to address the commercialisation and customary abuse of initiation. Because it’s quite clear to us that there is abuse of a very important tradition that has been handed down over generations by our forebears.”
The President stresses that the deaths of initiates at initiation schools in the Eastern Cape are unacceptable. He says he has instructed the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa to engage with various stakeholders including traditional leaders to address the problem.
“As we affirmed the role of traditional leadership, we need to restore the standing, the integrity, the dignity of our traditional cultural practices. The death and injuries that results from customary initiative practices, especially in the Eastern Cape remain a matter of serious concern to all of us. The Minister of Cogta has convened a series of very focused engagements with our kings and selected chapter nine institutions, senior traditional leaders, headman, and others.”
VIDEO| President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders:
In his State of the Nation Address on 6 February 2025, President Ramaphosa reasserted government’s commitment to work with traditional leaders in the implementation of local development programmes. #SONA2025#NHTKLOpening pic.twitter.com/lfoMeJ0y26
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) February 25, 2025
President Ramaphosa says government is busy working on introducing a new Bill on Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders to Parliament soon.
The President told the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders in Parliament that the aim of the Bill is to correct an earlier act that was declared unconstitutional by the courts.
“Following the constitutional ruling, the court ruling rather, which declared the traditional and Khoisan Act as unconstitutional. Concrete steps have been taken to ensure that a bill can be reintroduced to Parliament. The institution of traditional leaders and Khoisan leadership is therefore urged to participate in the consultation process that has ensued. The finalisation of this piece of legislation does have a particular significance for Khoisan communities because, for the first in history, it makes provisions for the recognition of Khoisan leaders and communities.”
