THREE people in Mahawana Village in Mbembesi on the
outskirts of Bulawayo under Chief Ndondo reportedly masterminded a phony
initiation party which was attended by over 300 youths, mostly boys, in
defiance of both Xhosa tradition and Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.councillor
The masterminds of the party, who have since been
reportedly arrested, allegedly gathered all the party attendees in a kitchen
hut where they drank illicit alcohol throughout the night two weeks ago. The
ceremony, allegedly organised by the trio with the consent of their uncle, is
supposed to be an annual event during which boys that have not been circumcised
(amakhwenkwe) are supposed to dance, drink and take part in some traditional
games while asking elders and ancestors to pave a safe path for them when they
eventually get circumcised and graduate into adulthood later in the year.
Although the ceremony is part of village custom, this
year’s proceedings had been cancelled due to lockdown restrictions. According to
a villager who spoke to Sunday News on condition of anonymity, while holding
such an event was part of normal cultural practice in the village, this year’s
proceedings shocked many as what is meant to be a well-intentioned traditional
ceremony turned into a boys-only party.
“It is a party for amakhwenkwe and usually boys gather for
this kind of ceremony and they are joined by the rest of the community which
will be there to give them its blessings. The difference with this one is that
it was a party attended by boys only and at least 300 of them attended as they
kept going in and out throughout the night,” the villager said.
The party has raised concern among villagers, as some felt
that it had the potential to become a Covid-19 super spreader event, as dozens
of boys, whose ages ranged from 13 to 18 years of age, spilled out of the tiny
kitchen they had been allocated for the gig.
“They asked for a kitchen from their uncle and he gave them
permission. So, you can imagine most of them were squashed in a tiny
traditional kitchen hut and there must have been at least 300 of them going in
and out throughout the night and they were all aged between 13 and 18 because
that’s the age group that usually gets circumcised,” the villager said.
The boys reportedly made use of bread roughage and sugar to
make an illicit liquor brew that they drank throughout the night.
“They were drinking throughout the night and then when it
was closer to dawn, some villagers actually came to watch them as they had
their little ceremony. We usually have this event but it is related to
circumcision but these boys are now distorting tradition and they are doing it
as a way of being naughty. This is not the first time they have done something
of this nature, they also did it last year during the first lockdown, so this
is a repeat of the same thing,” said the villager.
Chief Ndondo confirmed knowledge of the party, although he
said he was yet to get a detailed report of what transpired. Umguza Ward 3
Councillor, Mr Vethi Tshuma confirmed the arrest of three of the organisers.
“I understand that three have been arrested and they are
meant to be cautioned and pay the appropriate fines. I’m not exactly sure how
many of those that attended the party were also arrested but I believe hundreds
attended the event,” he said.
Councillor Tshuma expressed dismay at the hosting of the
party, saying it now fell on community leaders to increase awareness around
Covid-19 related issues.
“This is a really unfortunate incident that has happened in
our community. We have been a community that has been Covid-19 ready, a
community that has been Covid-19 regulations compliant. It is unfortunate that
a few young people in the community have tarnished this by hosting a ceremony
that has got nothing to do with tradition. It now falls on us as gatekeepers in
the community to see how best we can rectify and continue to conscientise the
community about the dangers of Covid-19. We have been working well with
everyone, including Chief Ndondo, to spread the message.
We even have posters tied on boreholes to inform people that the lockdown has been extended. Matabeleland North spokesperson, Inspector Glory Banda, was not available for comment. Sunday News
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