Cape Town - Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has been asked to intervene in a row between Basotho and AmaHlubi communities and authorities for abruptly blocking their ulwaluko rite of passage on land they’ve used to practise their heritage for 28 years.
The Winelands Fire Protection Association flagged the initiation school as a fire risk on the Stellenbosch Municipality-owned land – just days before the initiation school started.
The picturesque Idas Valley plantation is the go-to site every festive season for the people of Sotho and Hlubi descent, who want to send their boys to the proverbial mountain, and they’ve used it exclusively since 1995.
Some of the boys come from farflung areas in other parts of the province.
But now the Stellenbosch Initiation Forum accuses the WFPA of threatening their heritage, with claims that the municipality is also planning to use the plantation as a cycling route – something which the group says is exclusionary and bears racial connotations.
Dozens of families have saved hundreds of thousands of rand to oversee the initiation season and its ceremonies, but they were stunned when the municipality stonewalled their application and denied the annual permit – a few days before November 18.
The forum’s Sabelo Ntshaba said: “Another problem is that they (authorities) want to allocate new land for us, which is a problem because they will not know our traditional needs.”
He said the municipality has no Sotho or Hlubi person to make management see reason.
Ntshaba said some parents have spent months and even years in preparation for sending their boys to the mountain.
“We’re worried about the costs of all of this,” Ntshaba said.
He said they were told by officials that the municipality has plans to turn the plantation into a cycling route, a charge the municipality didn’t respond to when it was queried by this publication.
“If we allow them to block us from using that site, it puts our heritage on the line,” Ntshaba said.
Stellenbosch spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar said the initiation site was flagged “as a fire risk” by the WFPA, not the municipality.
“It is important to note that for the last 11 years, the initiation season has continued without any issues. Last year, there were safety issues identified around open fires at the site and fires that occurred in the area. This is why the process looks slightly differently this year (sic),” Grobbelaar said.
He said the WFPA has not issued a permit at this stage and special burn permits are only considered by the association for two operations: the burning of crop residue on agricultural lands in order to prepare for establishment of new crops; and for controlled burns with the aim of maintaining biodiversity in natural habitats.
Grobbelaar said the municipality, as the land owner, and the relevant stakeholders, are in agreement that negotiations should continue so that an amicable solution can be found going forward.
“We are still in communication with the WFPA about this.”
He said a meeting has taken place between the Cultural Affairs and Sport Department (DCAS) and the municipality to discuss alternatives to ensure that initiation continues.
Grobbelaar said the two entities agreed that DCAS would need to bring an exemption application to Mthethwa in order to obtain the fire permit from WFPA.
He said DCAS is also in contact with Cape Nature about other possible sites.
“The municipality remains committed to safeguarding all sacred cultural activities in our municipal area,” Grobbelaar said.
Mthethwa told the Cape Argus that traditional affairs fall out of his ambit and referred to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department, which had not responded at the time of writing.
DCAS spokesperson Tania Colyn said the department supports the initiation practice during summer with all the necessary fire risk mitigation measures in place.
“We encourage municipalities to put these mitigation measures in place so that this very important rite of passage can continue safely in the province,” she said.
She said the negotiations continue. Queries were sent to WFPA management, but they had not responded at the time of writing.