The North West Department of Traditional Affairs has stepped up efforts to strengthen safety measures at traditional initiation schools ahead of the province’s upcoming summer initiation season.
The department convened a safety measures workshop bringing together traditional leaders and initiation authorities to discuss ways of protecting children, preventing fatalities and ensuring that customary initiation is conducted safely and in accordance with the relevant requirements.
The engagement comes as preparations intensify for the summer initiation season, with registration for initiation schools currently open and scheduled to close on 9 October.
Kgosi Jeffry Montsioa, who welcomed initiation authorities to the workshop, stressed the importance of training and educating those responsible for initiation schools on safety measures and the protection of children.
He also raised concerns about the misuse of initiation schools, warning that cultural practices should never be used to justify violence or actions that place young lives at risk.
Montsioa called for stronger measures to address practices that endanger initiates, while emphasising the need to preserve the cultural significance of traditional initiation responsibly.
The workshop is also intended to strengthen the capacity of initiation authorities by providing them with the knowledge needed to identify potential risks and take appropriate action during the initiation season.
The department has previously highlighted the importance of screening and registering initiation schools as part of efforts to improve oversight, ensure compliance with safety requirements and protect initiates.
Effective collaboration between government, traditional leaders, initiation authorities and other stakeholders remains central to ensuring that initiation schools operate within the required safety standards.
With the summer initiation season approaching, authorities are urging all those involved to place the safety, dignity and wellbeing of initiates at the forefront, while ensuring that traditional practices are observed responsibly and in accordance with the law.
