Ndebele cultural activists have described the re-instatement of a employee who was fired for being absent with out consent whereas attending initiation as a bitter candy victory, as a result of he hasn’t gotten off from the incident completely scot-free.
Vusi Msiza, who had misplaced his apprenticeship at engineering firm FLSmidth in Delmas, Mpumalanga, for absconding to attend the two-month ritual, confirmed that he had been re-instated.
“I am very thankful to everyone who supported this cause. I am also grateful to my employers for understanding the importance of my culture and for seeing reason to give me my apprentice back,” he mentioned.
The Citizen has beforehand reported how the choice by some firms to dismiss staff who went for the Ndebele initiation had been criticised as insensitive and amounted to unfair discrimination.
Also Read: ‘Unfair discrimination’: Workers fired after going AWOL to attend initiation school
Msiza mentioned that he had utilized for go away in April and hooked up a letter from the native conventional chief, because the custodian of Ndebele customs, confirming that he was anticipated to go for the ceremony of passage for two months.
“The HR department said they would come back to me but this did not happen until the day I was supposed to leave. I was told I could not be absent from work for two months. I had no other choice but to leave without permission because it was important that I undergo the rite of passage,” he mentioned.
On April 22, Msiza (27) and lots of of different younger males went for initiation in KwaMhlanga and returned on 11 July.
When the 27-year-old reported for responsibility on 14 July, he was slapped with a dismissal letter, which he refused to signal.
Punished for working towards tradition
The firm has now made a U-turn relating to Msiza’s dismissal, for which he’s grateful, however not everyone seems to be glad concerning the situations of his re-instatement.
Endumbeni Cultural and Creative Arts Centre mentioned they have been grateful for Msiza’s re-instatement, however lamented that the written warning meant he was being penalised for working towards his tradition.
Founder of the centre Sipho Mahamba mentioned there was a necessity for firms to align their labour insurance policies to the structure of the nation to keep away from denying employees their proper to apply their tradition.
“It is very disappointing that his record now has a blot just because he exercised his right to practice his culture. The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa [Contralesa] must intervene and come up with programmes to address such issues,” he mentioned.
Mahamba mentioned that they had greater than 10 individuals who returned from initiation to be advised that they’ve been fired or expelled from school, however mentioned they’ve managed to intervene and get nearly all of them re-instated besides for two.
He mentioned one had been expelled from excessive school and won’t be able to write his matric examinations this 12 months.
“This is denying a child their constitutional right to education just because they exercised their right to practice their culture. This means people have to sacrifice their own culture for fear of being expelled from school. We cannot have a situation like that, in Africa,” Mahamba mentioned.
Also Read: Watch: From boys to males – Inside the Ndebele initiation journey
No safety for African tradition in labour legal guidelines
Cultural activist Thando Mahlangu mentioned one of many firms concerned is so boastful that they don’t seem to be even replying to their e-mail messages.
He mentioned that is probably as a result of the businesses don’t have anything to concern as there are not any legal guidelines defending African employees from being penalised for working towards their tradition.
“We need a national dialogue on this matter. What happens if I work and my ancestors want me to go train to be a traditional healer? That could take up to six months and it is not of my doing, it is my culture. We cannot say we are Africans, in Africa but cannot freely practise our cultures,” he mentioned.
Mahlangu himself has been on the receiving finish of prejudice based mostly on tradition, after he was kicked off the Gautrain and ordered to go away the Boulders Shopping Centre final 12 months, as a result of he was sporting his Ndebele conventional apparel.
– siphom@citizen.co.za