Cape Town - The office of the public protector is investigating a complaint that the Nyanga and Stellenbosch initiation forums have been barred access to the Ida’s Valley initiation site for the summer initiation season by the Stellenbosch municipality.
The initiation forums said the municipality informed them last month that they would not gain access to the area this year, merely weeks before the start of the initiation season.
The forums lodged a complaint with the public protector saying the actions by the municipality will negatively impact them.
In a letter to the municipality, the office of the public protector said they were investigating the complaint.
“According to the complainant the reasons advanced by the Stellenbosch municipality are that the continued performance of initiation schools for boys at the site in question is causing a fire hazard and that they often leave the area in a dirty condition and there is no person who will assume full responsibility should a fire break out during their stay at the site.
“The complainant alleged that the Stellenbosch municipality have been granting them access to this site since 1994 for the purpose of performing initiation schools for boys and that there was no single day wherein a fire broke out at the site and that they had a legitimate expectation that they will also be granted access to the site during this festive holidays.
“The sudden decision by the Stellenbosch Municipality to deny them access to this site is grossly unfair and is in violation of their right to practise their culture and will severely prejudice families of more than 50 boys who have already made the necessary financial arrangements to take their boys to the initiation schools this year,” the letter reads.
A dispute resolution session is set for Tuesday.
“The office of the South African Human Rights Commission together with the office of the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities has been invited to join the proceedings for the purpose of assisting the Public Protector with the investigation,” read the letter.
Basotho and MaHlubi task team head of communications Tsholofole Mokobe said families who have prepared and invested in the rite of passage for their children will suffer financial implications if they are not granted access to the site.
“The issue at hand is families of over 286 boys who are meant to go to initiation for the year 2022 have spent R9 500 per child to prepare for the initiation.
“All stakeholders we have spoken to see the need for us to do our rite of passage and agree that it’s our constitutional right and we should find common ground with the municipality of Stellenbosch.
“We have been going to this specified site for the last 28 years and for them to come at the last hour to tell us they cannot accommodate us is very discouraging to say the least.
“We really hope that this matter can be resolved as the first group of boys need to have a site,” he said.
Stellenbosch municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar said the current initiation site in Ida’s Valley has been identified as a high fire risk area by the Winelands Fire Protection Association (WFPA), not by the municipality.
“It is Important to note that for the last 11 years, the initiation season has continued without any issues.
“Last year, there were safety issues identified around open fires at the site and fires that occurred in the area.
“The municipality has held meetings with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) the custodians of initiation schools.
“... the department has indicated that they will bring an exemption application to the national minister in order to obtain the necessary permit,” he said.
The municipality confirmed it would attend the meeting at the public protector’s office today to provide clarity on the matter.
Cape Times