LETTER: Death is not a tradition. THE media reports on the initiates in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga South Africa who died from circumcision-related injuries, and the hundreds who have been hospitalised, are shocking and catastrophic. I would rather choose not to be associated with a tradition that encourages the unnecessary deaths of young men. However, I am aware of the fact that the deaths of teenage boys at initiation schools are due to people using the cultural practice for financial gain. No one should die in the name of tradition in this country. It is high time that regulation of circumcision schools stops existing on paper only, and is enforced. Is culture more important than the lives of these young men? In order to preserve their culture, why don’t they meet the authority halfway to ensure no one loses his life again in the name of culture? In the Eastern Cape, the Application of Health Standards in Traditional Circumcision Act of 2001 regulates traditional circumcision, but still many youths are dying or are mutilated by traditional surgeons masquerading as the custodians of culture. It is genuinely disturbing that the practice of traditional initiation continues under negligent circumstances, despite clear evidence that this practice, if not conducted properly, is fatal. Legislators, the community and the traditional authorities must unite to make sure that there is no further loss of life in the name of tradition. Although I am a staunch supporter of religious and traditional freedom and a committed defender of traditionally mandated behavioural dispositions, I believe where cultural rights compromise health and violate the right to life and the bodily integrity of young men, they should be limited in any manner that is justifiable and reasonable. Those who practise traditional male circumcision must be stopped from doing it to children below the age of 18.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:17:28 +0000