By Godfrey Sigwela in Port Elizabeth

As this is the time for circumcision, when boys become “men” violence has become an increasing feature around the issue in the Eastern Cape.

In most cases the violence is linked to greed. On the one hand is a traditional surgeon (Ingcibi) and on the other a traditional attendant(Amakhankatha) who form a partnership which instigates the fights in competition for clients.

Sometimes both functions are monopolized by one person.

The fights for clients do not end with the functionaries but spreads amongst the initiates in the townships.

They form criminal gangs based on where they were initiated or by whom. This war  constantly spreads out to the townships where initiates turn into hardened gangsters and are sometimes involved in vigilantism.

High unemployment and lack of proper guidance by guardians prompts initiates (Amakrwala) to be engaged in such criminal activities.

The initiates are also violent against each other where the Amakrwala interrogate other groups, and accuse them of not having followed all the prescribed steps for the traditional rite during the time they were in the bushes.

Where some initiates ended up in hospitals they are victimized and are not considered as having become “men” but are treated as “boys” which leads to violence.

Last year the Eastern Cape was engulfed by a huge the death toll of initiates particularly in the Transkei. Dozens of initiates were hospitalised because ofbotched circumcision, starvation and dehydration.

Many were seriously injured by their traditional attendant who claimed that they were instilling a sense of manhood to the helpless initiates.

Ever since health expects divulged that there is a new epidemiological research evidence, which suggests that circumcised men carry a low risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, hundreds of young boys including parents were lured by this statement.

There were many cases reported involving young boys who circumcised each other because of their misconceptions surrounding circumcision.

Some would say smoking dagga is the best cure for pain, while others encourage the poor boys to drink a lot of alcohol so that he reduces the amount of pain suffered when being cut.

After the initiation period many young people continue to drink, a lot and commit crime to get the money. They also smoke a lot of dagga which causes them to stop thinking as responsible adults.

Many rape defenseless young women.

Recently an initiate in Middledrift was arrested after spending two weeks in the bushes, on allegations of rape and murder.

For the initiate to be involved in such a scandal one would not be wrong to assume that certain traditional teachings were not done for him before he went to the bushes.

In the Eastern Cape this rite is not giving birth to young responsible adults but to hardened criminals. Its about time something is done about this.