YCL KZN- KING ZWELITHINI MUST FURNISH DETAILS OF HIS PLANNED CIRCUMCISION REVIVAL PROCESS

A sense of confusion is engulfing people of KwaZulu Natal after the King of Zulus in the ceremony of ukweshwama last year (2009) made an announcement to the effect that, as a King of the Zulu's and wielding an exclusive right to reintroduce a practice that might have been banned by his predecessor, also informed by the plight of the seriousness of the HIV/Aids pandemic, is considering reintroducing male circumcision which was banned by the late King Shaka.

To date in 2010, no details have come forth as to the nature of this practice in relation to the Zulu boys; whether it will take a form of what in other tribes in various provinces do which is more than just a circumcision but an initiation process. Media reports indicate that, already a buy-in from government has been achieved and an extensive process is commencing.

The Young Communist League as a representative of the youth deserves answers so that this is not just seen ( as it would appear) as was a mere knee-jerk reaction to shift the bad publicity from animals rights (ARA) who carpeted the Ukweshwama ceremony so badly with attempted Court interdicts. The YCL in KZN raises the following concerns:

·   Is the King reviving the initiation practice to which circumcision is the integral and the last part after teachings (passage) that transit a boy to manhood? Even then, before King Shaka banned the practice, the process was as comprehensive as such for boy passage. If this revival of the practice is indeed going to combine all these details the question would be on practicality given the period spent and the professional foreskin cutters to avoid the Eastern Cape situation of people dying. But more critically, are parents ready to surrender their boys for this process?

·   In the second scenario where the process would cut the corners and it entails just circumcision with no preceding activities of passage; we would then advise for an engagement with the government and Health Department in particular, to mount a campaign of encouraging all males to go to clinics and hospitals for clinical circumcisions. Such circumcisions are safe guaranteed and the public health system has a capacity no matter the volume for such a demand.

We may as well strengthen the initiative that every born baby boy be circumcised immediately in hospitals.

It is important to emphasize the point that any attempt to make intervention to fight HIV/AIDS must be welcomed. We need a multi-pronged approach so as to pool all of these to mitigate the levels of this pandemic. But that being the case, it does not mean we must not interrogate the relevance and even to survey what we are putting to the fore before we put to test.

In the absence of details not elaborated, the danger with this quasi or full initiation revival in the province is the potential for it to be boycotted as fears of death are known as opposed to health professionals in hospitals and clinics doing this job. With that, the perception would be as though the King is being disrespected.

Statement issued by Thulani Gabela Young Communist League KZN spokesperson, January 20 2010

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