Initiation Site Development in Khayelitsha, Cape Town: Addressing the Challenges of Urban Initiation While Preserving Tradition and Culture ABSTRACT The initiation ritual is a ceremony that symbolizes the transition from boyhood to manhood for many South African males of the amaXhosa, amaHlubi, and abeSuthu ethnic groups. It is an im- portant tradition during which young males are circumcised and taught to be responsible men. The ritual has been practiced for hundreds of years in rural areas. However, in recent years, the initiation ritual has spread to urban environments, and with this shift, this sacred process has faced many challenges, including insufficient areas of suitable land and a lack of safe health prac- tices. Through research of the cultural context, interviews, and analysis of the only formal initiation site in Cape Town, the team assisted in preparing a plan and an implementation strat- egy for the development of the Good Hope College Initiation Site in Khayelitsha; a sign of the City of Cape Town’s commit- ment to the formalization and reservation of land for the sacred ritual of initiation. This project report is part of an ongoing research program by students of the WPI CTPC to explore and develop options for sustainable community development in the informal settle- ments of South Africa. For more information please go to: AUTHORS PROJECT ADIVSORS SPONSOR http://www.wpi-capetown.org/ QIU CHEN PROFESSORS CITY OF CAPE TOWN The following is an executive summary of a full project report that has been implemented as MATTHEW CONNOLLY SCOTT JIUSTO & a website available at: LUIS QUIROGA ROBERT HERSH http://wp.wpi.edu/capetown/homepage/projects/p2010/initiation-site-development/ ANDREW STEWART An Interactive Qualifying Project submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science. PROBLEM STATEMENT The ritual inspires social cohesion maintaining the initiation tradition, amputation, and sometimes death. and cultural pride. Failure to undergo and the urban abantu community The City of Cape Town has recently The initiation ritual is a ceremony this process can lead to serious social has been forced to creatively adapt to developed a task force to plan, de- that symbolizes the transition from consequences for the males of the a rapidly changing social and cultural velop, and operate formal initiation boyhood to manhood for the males of South African abantu. In urban envi- environment. Many migrants reside sites to provide space and reduce the the amaXhosa, amaHlubi, and abe- ronments where lack of space and in townships and informal settle- risks associated with initiation. Suthu ethnic groups known collec- unsanitary conditions exist, the risks ments on the outskirts of Cape Town. tively as abantu. This sacred ritual is that boys will face to gain the privi- One of these townships, Khayelitsha, BACKGROUND an important part of traditional cul- lege of marriage, the respect of the is located 30 km from the centre of During the summer and winter ture that has been practiced for hun- community, and the right to become Cape Town, and is home to a shifting breaks each year, thousands of males dreds of years in rural areas of South a man through initiation are height- population of between 500,000 and in South Africa typically between the Africa. ened (Mavundla, 2010). 1,000,000 residents comprised ages of 17 to 23 undergo the tradi- largely of abantu people who have Each year, young males walk away In the last two decades, there has tional ritual of initiation (City of Cape migrated from the Eastern Cape from the familiarity of their homes, been a mass migration from rural Town, 2009). On the first day of ini- (Alex, et al., 2007). Many young and go to the bush where they are areas of the Eastern Cape Province to tiation, boys are circumcised by a males cannot afford to travel to the circumcised, and left alone to their urban areas of the Western Cape traditional surgeon (ingcibi) who is Eastern Cape to partake in the tradi- thoughts and to heal. In the follow- Province driven largely by the need to appointed by the family, and are left tional initiation ceremony, and so the ing four to six weeks, the initiates find employment, and the desire for a in seclusion for four to six weeks. initiates must find the most appropri- must learn of their new responsibili- higher standard of living (Central During this time of seclusion, initi- ate area they can in these urban ties and protocols to which they must Intelligence Agency, 2010). This mi- ates live in huts (ibhomas), tradition- townships. adhere as men in their communities. gration has created challenges in ally made of reeds, but currently In most areas experiencing rapid ur- made out of plastic (Afolayan, Funso, banization in South Africa, little land 2004). remains secluded and undisturbed for proper initiation use. Instead, informal sites with little privacy that are subject to dumping of trash and grazing of livestock are chosen for this sacred ritual. Even when these boys find desirable land, challenges of initiation still remain. The male will face three of the largest risks dur- ing his first day of initiation—AIDS, bacterial infection, and botched cir- cumcisions. Health complications of the initiates arising from botched During this time, the initiates must circumcisions and improperly sani- learn the responsibilities that have tized blades by irresponsible ingcibis been passed down for centuries by (traditional surgeons) are common. knowledgeable men who are trusted In 2007, there were 100 hospital ad- and respected in the community, missions reported in the Eastern called ikhankathas. Cape due to initiation health compli- cations (Meissner, 2007). These com- Historically, and in most parts of the plications included transmission of Western Cape and all of the Eastern viruses, bacterial infection, penile Cape Provinces today, the ceremony Initiation Pg. 2 was not carried out within the In 2009, the Western Cape and City velopment of the Good Hope College initiation ritual. The team was able to boundaries of a fenced region. The of Cape Town government sought to Initiation Site in Khayelitsha on be- meet several key contacts and learn government was not involved. As the address the continuing economic, half of the City of Cape Town’s Social more about the importance of initia- high rate of hospital admittances, social, and health challenges that face Development Department. Several tion in the abantu community. In reports of infections, and mortality the abantu youth who undergo initia- main objectives were identified to order to understand the challenges due to initiation became known, the tion. An indaba, or gathering of con- achieve this goal, including: and conditions of existing sites, the provincial government in the Eastern cerned community members, city and team visited the Langa Initiation Site. Cape passed the 2001 Circumcision government officials, and tribal eld- Explore the changing culture of The Langa Initiation Site is a re- Act (Karl Peltzer, 2008). However, ers discussed the need to formalize initiation in South Africa spected site known for its history of this initial legislation did little to re- initiation sites in the Western Cape to no fatalities. A series of site visits and duce the number of health complica- help ensure the safety and security of Research and assess existing ini- discussions with Langa Site person- tions and deaths. In the Western their youth, and preserve sites for tiation sites nel did, however, identify existing Cape, where initiation often takes initiation. The City of Cape Town re- Develop a site layout, infrastruc- challenges. From these discussions, place in urban, rather than rural en- sponded to the needs of the initiation the team gained an understanding of ture plan, preliminary tender vironments, no action was taken by community and made a verbal com- the complexities surrounding initia- documents, and management the government. mitment to provide formal initiation tion; the social and political relations plan for the Good Hope College sites for the boys of the townships between government and abantu Initiation Site such as Khayelitsha. In order to fur- members in the communities, as well ther these efforts, the City of Cape METHODOLOGY as the challenges that face the site Town established an Initiation Task committee, site manager, and the city Team comprised of community lead- The team worked in Cape Town for officials who are associated with the ers, elders, traditional surgeons, mu- two months in late 2010 with guid- Langa Initiation Site. This research nicipal and provincial government ance from former City of Cape Town was informative in making our Good officials, and other major stake- City Planner Basil Tommy, to achieve Hope College Initiation Site recom- holders with the goal of developing project objectives. During this time, mendations. sustainable, safe initiation sites the team attended an initiation in- Analysis of the Langa site that was throughout the municipality. daba and worked with city officials from several departments. The team later used to plan the Good Hope Col- In 2010, the designation of land for 11 spoke with Langa Initiation Site offi- lege Initiation Site included an as- formal initiation sites around the City cials, a senior manager of the West- sessment of the following: of Cape Town was announced. Of ern Cape Department of Arts and these sites, three are active informal Culture, a traditional surgeon, an Condition and effectiveness of the In 2005, concerned citizens of the initiation sites in Khayelitsha. With Eastern Cape Health Official, and concrete palisade fence, con- township of Langa asked the City of the ideas of the initiation community Kirstenbosch Garden personnel to structed by the City to secure the Cape Town to help preserve their in- at the forefront, the City of Cape identify and further define the ele- site and provide privacy formal initiation site.