Joy and happiness will fill the air as Batswana men and women celebrate their graduation from the initiation school in Taung, North West, this Saturday. Initiates from 35 traditional schools across nine villages of Batlhaping Baga Maidi will gather at the Tribal Kgotla for the pass-out ceremony, where Kgosi Nyoko Motlhabane will deliver a speech.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has been assigned the responsibility of coordinating all initiation schools, practices, and activities within the province, as outlined by the Customary Initiation Act (CIA) No. 2 of 2021. The Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) will oversee the ceremony. The Acting Director for Communications, Thebeetsile Keameditse, mentioned that the initiates are expected to visit the tribal office to pay their respects to the Chief and his council.
“At around 6 a.m. on Saturday, the initiates will gather at the main road, located 100 meters from the Tribal Kgotla offices in Manthe Village. They will then proceed to the Tribal Kgotla, where Kgosi Motlhabane will address them and grant them a regiment name in accordance with traditional customs,” Keameditse explained.
Last December marked the customary initiation year for the communities of Batlhaping Baga Maidi villages, and the PICC will manage the entire pass-out ceremony. Keameditse noted that no major incidents have been reported in the province during the summer initiation period, unlike the winter season. The PICC, in collaboration with the police, successfully shut down 17 illegal initiation schools and rescued over 100 initiates.