ABAKHWETHA - XHOSA INITIATES

Isigidimi (The messenger) is a great Xhosa newspaper - here is an article about Xhosa initiates dying during the initiation school - I have underlined all the possessives.

Ahambe Njani Amakhwenkwe Esuthwini?

Sibuhlungu ukwazisa ukuba kweyoMnga ka 2012 abakhwetha abali-17 ababuyanga kwiphondo lethu laseMpuma Koloni. We are sad to announce that in December 2012 17 initiates did not return to our province of the Eastern Cape.
Kwelinye icala sivuyisana namaXhosa akwiphondo laseNtshona Koloni - akho namnye umfana oswelekileyo pha. While (on the one side) we congratulate Xhosas in the Western Cape - there is another young man that dies there.

Kweli khasi sakukhe sihlalutye imiba ngemiba ethi idale isimo sokusweleka kwabakhwetha. Sive nakwiiNkosi zaseKapa ukuba zona zenza njani ukuze zikwazi ukukhusela abakhwetha babo esuthwini.
On this page we just want to identify the reasons that create this condition of the dying of the initiants. We have also heard from Cape Town leaders what they do so that they can protect their initiants at the initiation school.

Kwez’veki siphuma kuzo bekukhe kwakho indibano yeeNkosi kunye nesebe lwezempilo pha eMpuma Koloni; kuzanywa ukufumana isisombululo sale ngxaki yokuphulukana nobomi ehlathini.

In these weeks that we are coming out of there was a meeting of the Chiefs together with the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape: in an effort to try to find a solution to this problem of losing life in the forest.

Urhulumente wezwe lethu ude wathatha inyathelo lokunika isebe lezempilo laseMpuma Koloni imali e pha kwizigidi ezingama-20 zeeranti; ukuze baqinisekise ukuba akusayi kubhubha mntu esuthwini.

The government of our country has finally taken a step to give the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape money in the region of 20 million rand so that they can ensure that no more deaths in the initiation school will occur.

Asazi ke nokuba loo mali iyakunceda kusini na, kodwa iyathembisa into yokubona urhulumente wesizwe etyala imali engaka kwinkqubo eyelelene namasiko akwaNtu. Nto etheth’ba urhulumente uyazihlonipha ezakwaNtu. Kodwa siyazibuza kweli phepha ukuba: ingaba yimali na efunekayo? okanye kukulungiswa kwesiko?

We do not know who that money is going to help, but it is a promise (it promises ) of something to see that the government of the nation is ploughing so much money into an issue to do with the African custom. It is something that speaks to the fact that the government respects African culture. But we ask ourselves, in this page if: is it really money that is needed? or is it the fixing of the custom?

Eyokuba kutyalwe imali engaka kule nkqubo ayisosiqinisekiso sokuba ingcibi engenamava ayizivuleli sikolo sayo sokwalusa yonzakalise abafana. Ingaba kwicala likarhulumente kusafunwa ukwakhiwa izakhiwo ezibufana nezibhedlele, emahlathini, apho kuzakuthi kuhlale khona abakhwetha? Kupheliswe amabhoma?

The thing of so much money being ploughed into this programme is not a guarantee that surgeon who does not have experience is closing his initiation school that injures young man. Maybe on the government's side what is still needed is the building of buildings like hospitals, in the forests where the initiates stay? And that initiation huts should end?
Ingxaki ayonkqubo yokwaluka, ingxaki ngabantu abathi baqhube ezi nkqubo. Bambi abanamava, abazi kwa nto ngezococeko nangezempilo nazicwangciso zokuqinisekisa impilo entle esuthwini. Ingaba yenzeka njani na lo nto? Kutheni inkcubeko yokwaluka ikhe iwele ezandleni zabantu abangazi nto? Masizibuzeni le mibuzo, siyilungise.

the problem is not the programme of initation, the problem is the people who drive these programmes. Some of them do not have experience, they do not know a thing about hygiene and about health and regulations to ensure good health at the initiation school. How can that happen? Why has the institution of initiation fallen into the hands of people who do not know anything? Let us ask ourselves these questions and fix them.