VANDERBIJLPARK – For over 52-years, their grandfather practised initiation without any deaths in the mountain tops.

Two years after their takeover, they [grandsons] have kept the legacy of Ntate Neo Majantja Motloung at its best.

And this year, a duo to the old initiation surgeon has done it once more, initiating dozens of boys safely and returning them home as fully fledged men.

For the second consecutive time back-to-back, Petrus Motloung and Thabang Motloung have seen close to a hundred boys initiated under their supervision.

On Friday, the couple descended 33 young men from Kuilspruit just outside Vanderbijlpark in a two day homecoming ceremony.

In the wee hours of Saturday, as dawn broke on the chilly, dozens of barefoot initiates gathered to prepare for their all-day ceremony.

This is after the initiates had spent the night in a small makeshift tent on a farm which belongs to Motloung, patiently waiting to meet their families.

Speaking to the paper, Petrus said “We’ve made sure we continued sincerely where the old man left off. Its two years now and we’ve been practicing safe initiation. We are overjoyed seeing many parents happy with the way we did things and having to welcome their sons in good health.”

“Our slogan is simple, let the boys go to the mountain and come back alive. This means we are doing something right,” he added.

Thabang added in the same notion, thanking the initiation committee which allows them to continue practicing the age old tradition without any discrepancies.

“We started our journey on the 22nd of November until the third of January. We had 33 boys who attended our initiation school and all of them came back as per their parent’s wishes. We will continue to make the old man proud for teaching us his rightful ways as a way of making sure we continue with his legacy,” he said.

Ululation, and tears of joy played out throughout the homecoming, with many parents left in disbelief.

Moses Motaung, a proud parent said “we are grateful that our boys came back in good condition. Having too many bogus initiation schools ruining this tradition leaves us wondering that our boys will ever come back. Seeing my son completed his journey leaves me happy.”

“To the initiation chiefs under the banner of Ntate Motloung, we want to thank you and give you encouraging words to continue serving many families who still believes in this custom,” he added.

Another parent, Thabisa Tsotetsi said “initiation is not fashion for us. We don’t just take young men in our family to the mountains because we following style. It gives us joy to see that there are still initiation camps or schools who still hold the fort in the best way we know.”