Mamelodi initiation school concerned over land grabs

Land grabs and shacks being erected near a “sacred” site could disrupt the reopening of an initiation school in Mamelodi two years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We weren’t even aware of people building shacks on the mountain so close to the site we use for initiations until we began preparing for our official reopening,” said Medupi Phetla of the Phetla initiation school.

The spot on the mountain has been used for initiation rites for more than five decades.

The school received its registration certificate from the Tshwane health department to operate this year.

Its intake of boys and girls will take place between May 27 and July 29.

“Parents are welcome to bring their children to this school,” Phetla said.

“But we are disappointed with the invasion of privacy by people grabbing land using force. They are disrespecting other people’s culture and traditions.”

The Phetla initiation school started as far back as 1955 and has a long history in Mamelodi.

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“People need to respect other people’s culture and traditions. Erecting shacks right next to the initiation sacred site will disturb rituals that we perform during the initiation period.”

He said the land grabbers started building their shacks earlier this year between section SNS and Waterkloof and the Mamelodi reservoir hill.

Phetla said building shacks next to the reservoir “wasn’t safe”.

He claimed people were also illegally selling land that did not belong to them.

“Our school approached the land grabbers, but it seems our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.”

The initiation school lodged a formal complaint at the municipal offices in Mamelodi, but “nothing has been done about the situation”.

“The land invasion is now moving closer to the school’s site and it will disrupt the whole process.”

Some of the invaders also built shacks on the path the school uses to fetch water and uses for any emergencies.

“In the early 1990s, we also experienced land invasion in the same area. But Tshwane metro quickly dealt with the situation and the land invaders were quickly removed and relocated somewhere else.”

In 2017, the school also fought with people dumping rubbish illegally at the site.

Despite this, Phetla said they were going ahead with this year’s initiation ceremonies.

“No child will be accepted at the school without the parents signing the consent form,” he said.

“Parents must produce their identity books to prove he or she is the correct parent before circumcision.

“We have been working together with the Department of Health, police and the Tshwane metro.

The public should be aware of bogus initiation schools, he cautioned.

He further said initiates must first get vaccinated before the intake and must prove that they have been vaccinated.

The boys will be taken to a clinic for check-ups for any allergies.

For more information about the Phetla initiation school, contact Medupi Phetla on 079 237 9819.

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