Jeffrey Rakabe ponders transformation, trauma and tradition in a debut that challenges what it means to grow up
Traditional leaders blame those who fail to enforce the laws that govern the practice
Young initiates avoid medical complications thanks to a blend of cultural tradition with health and safety practices
Any parent whose child is harmed, or who has suspicions about the place the child is going, must open a complaint at a police station
The furore over the film Inxeba has cast a light on men who are gay but deeply committed to their culture
It’s been fêted around the world, but Inxeba’s smashed stereotypes will cause a stir locally
"What is the bro code for learning, unlearning and relearning humanity? Must we be called ugly and trash before we begin to see the light?"
‘The Wound’ tackles the unspoken issue of sexuality and tradition in a film about Xhosa initiates.
This sacred community ritual has been subverted and sullied by predatory and deadly opportunists.
Two illegal initiation schools have been shut down in North West, says the traditional affairs department, while authorities search for the owners.
The owner of an initiation school has been found guilty of culpable homicide after the death of an initiate.
The Eastern Cape Department of Health has condemned handlers at an initiation school for denying three injured boys treatment.
During this initiation season, we look back at what happened in 2013 when bungled initiations cost boys their penises.
Five people have been arrested since the start of the initiation season in the Eastern Cape, say police.
Following 30 initiates’ deaths and the hospitalisation of almost 300 boys in Eastern Cape, the health minister has lashed out at circumcision schools.
Five boys have died and one had to be castrated in the Eastern Cape after illegal circumcisions, according to the provincial health department.
Deputy public protector Kevin Malunga will help probe the issues surrounding botched circumcisions, says his office.
The state’s hopes for the nonsurgical circumcision device rest on its acceptance in initiation rituals.
The culture commission has called for national legislation to regulate initiation schools, and in so doing reduce the risk to young men’s lives.
A case against a group of Parktown Boys high school pupils facing assault charges related to an initiation ceremony has been struck of the court roll.
