11 June 2007

                   HOUSE OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS ON 
           TRADITIONAL INITIATION SCHOOLS: 2007 SEASON 

1.1 Context

June is youth month on our national calendar. An important month in the country when we celebrate the heroic role played by young people in the liberation of our country. Equally, we regard this month as also very critical in the initiation of boys into manhood and girls into womanhood in keeping with our traditions and customs.

Beginning from the 16th of June to the 21st of July, we will be receiving many young people from all over the country who will be entering our schools to be taught the values of initiation and culture. This will demand everyone of us including relevant government departments, Traditional leaders, traditional surgeons and nurses to go an extra mile in making sure that this year’s initiation season becomes successful and is free from any causalities. We are mindful of the public sector strike that is currently going on and are aware that this will obviously place an extra burden on all of us to ensure that the schools run as required by the law. Despite the challenge of the absence of public service employees who have currently embarked on a strike, we are determined to ensure that everything is done to prevent any disturbances from occurring.

As we have always done in the past, Traditional leaders will be expected to oversee this process by ensuring that there is maximum compliance with legislation in all Initiation schools, so that no practitioner can have any excuse for bringing this noble Traditional practice into disrepute. We know that in the previous years some of our Initiation schools had to be closed on account of their failure to adhere to stipulated regulations governing the practice. We do not wish to see this happen this year; hence we call for maximum cooperation between and amongst parents, Traditional leaders, Traditional surgeons, nurses and relevant stakeholders including such departments as Sport, Arts and Culture, Health and Social Development, Safety, Security and Liaison, Local government and Housing and the Office of the Premier.