Limpopo’s Traditional Affairs Department says it has approved over 400 permit applications for initiation schools this year. This as initiation schools are set to resume in June, the first time since 2019.
Initiations in the country were halted for two years following an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Some residents have welcomed the government’s decision to re-open the old traditional practice. They want the authorities to ensure that CoVID-19 protocols are observed.
“We welcome the decision to reopen initiation school, we are appealing to those in charge to ensure that social distancing is observed to avoid COVID-19 from spreading. I have a teenage boy who must go to initiation school, it is our parent’s culture and we must follow it,” a resident explains.
VIDEO: Initiation schools in Limpopo see record applications after two-year stoppage due to COVID-19
