GOVERNMENT standardises initiation fees.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has gazetted standardised fees for customary initiation across all nine provinces.
This as Mzansi prepares for the winter initiation season.
The move, signed into law last week under the Customary Initiation Act of 2021, means parents will now know exactly how much they must pay for their kids' rite of passage from childhood to adulthood.
However, the cost varies dramatically depending on where you live.
WESTERN CAPE TOPS THE LIST
Initiates from the Western Cape will dig deep into their pockets, with males paying R5 000 and females R4 500 - the highest fees in the country.
Meanwhile, KZN offers the cheapest rates, with fees ranging between R1 800 and R2 000, depending on the tribe.
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Basotho initiates, including Batlokwa and Makgolokwe, will pay R1 800 for both males and females, while AmaHlubi and Sothos will fork out R2 000.
MIDDLE GROUND
The Eastern Cape and North West have set fees at R3 500 for both male and female initiates.
The Free State and Mpumalanga will charge R4 000, irrespective of gender.
In the Northern Cape, male initiates will pay R3 000 while females pay R2 500.
Limpopo mountain schools will charge R3 500 for males and R2 000 for females.
Gauteng male initiates must pay R3 500 and females R2 500.
EXTRA COSTS
In a unique requirement, Gauteng parents or guardians must also pay an additional R500 per male initiate to a medical practitioner.
Some provinces have also set fees for traditional surgeons, ranging between R300 and R500, while other provinces don't require payment for these services.
CONSULTATIVE PROCESS
Hlabisa stated that the fees were determined through extensive consultations.
"After consultation with the premiers of all provinces, the National House of Traditional Leaders, all provincial houses of traditional leaders and the minister of health, determine the fees to be paid for customary initiation as contained in the schedule hereto," he stated in the gazette.
The standardisation comes as authorities grapple with the commercialisation of traditional practices, with some unscrupulous operators charging exorbitant fees for the sacred cultural ceremony.
The regulation aims to protect families from exploitation while preserving the integrity of one of South Africa's most important cultural traditions.
Hlabisa emphasised that new regulations aim to stop money-hungry traditionalists from cashing in on sacred rites.
