The Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, has invited initiation school principals and initiation forums to register for the 2023 summer initiation season.
The registration period opened on August 1, 2023, and all applications must be submitted by August 31, 2023.
To register initiation schools, initiation school principals and initiation forums are required to submit a duly completed and signed initiation application form, and all additional information requested must be provided in full. Late initiation applications will not be accepted.
"It is crucial that we ensure that all initiation schools in the province are registered as per the requirements of the act," Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, said.
“We are committed to ensuring the safety of all our initiates by providing support to duly registered initiation schools. We want to make sure that this important and sacred rite of passage can continue safely in the Western Cape,” Marais said.
Marais further added that Initiation schools, individuals, parents, and communities must consult with their local initiation forums, and application forms are available on request from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport.
Marais said Section 26(2) of the Customary Initiation Act, Act 2 of 2021, states that an initiation school must be registered at least three months prior to the commencement of an initiation season, and such registration is valid only for a specific initiation season indicated on the registration certificate.
IOL