Ke a leboga Mmusakgotla, Tona ya Lefapha la Puso ya Tirisano, Rre Baloyi, ke rata go go raya ke re mookapilo o o loodi le matute a a monate, mogokong ga o ke o o ja o be o fetsa mooko wa teng. Bogwera ke setso sa rona, re tshwanetse go bo tlhompha. Ga re a tshwanela go letlelela batho go bo fetola gore e nne sengwe se ba gwebang ka sona. Ga re go pege molato, o gakgametse fela jaaka rona Rre Baloyi, mme rotlhe re tshwanetse gore re bone tharabololo ya bothata jo; re be re arabe dipotso tse ke di thadileng fa.
Potso ya ntlha ke gore: A batsadi ba ne ba kopile kgosi gore e rebole bogwera? Ya bobedi, a ngaka e ne e tlhatlhobile basimane pele ba tlhatlogela kwa thabeng? A rathipana yo o neng a dirisa thipa ene o na le maitemogelo a go ka dira jalo? A dikolo tse bagwera ba tlhokafaletseng kwa go tsona di ne di le ka fa molaong tsotlhe? A mo nakong e e fetileng go kile ga nna le thulaganyo ya go tswala dikolo tse di seng ka fa molaong, ka gonne re tsaya gore ga di simologe, di ntse di le teng mme di tlogetswe fela gore di tswelele?
Mo baneng ba ba tlhokafetseng, ke ba bakae ba ba neng ba pateleditswe kgotsa ba tserwe ka dikgoka go isiwa bogwera? Go a diragala gore bana ba tsewe ka dikgoka ba isiwe koo le fa tota ba ne ba sa rate go ya. Re le Maloko a Kgotlatheomolao e, re tshwanetse go tla ka ditharabololo tse di tla dirang gore go tlhongwe khomi?hene ya dipatlisiso e e tla tsenelelang mo bothateng jo e be e bo rarabolole. Ke lelela mo tsebeng ya gago rre Baloyi, ka ntlha ya gore re ka kgona go dira jaana fa wena o re eteletse pele. (Translation of Setswana paragraphs follows.)
[Mr G G BOINAMO: Thank you, Speaker. Minister for Co-oporative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Baloyi, I would like to say you are a man of integrity who always gives all you have in everything you do. Initiation is part of our culture and we should respect it. We should not allow individuals to convert it into a business. We are not blaming you - you are as surprised as we are. We should all find a solution to this problem, and we should also answer the following questions that I have compiled.
The first question is: Did the parents ask for the king's permission to allow the initiation process? Second question, did the doctor check the boys before they went to the mountain? Were the boys circumcised by an experienced person? Were the initiation schools that experienced tragedies legal? Has there ever been an attempt to close down illegal initiation schools in the past, because we think they were not set up yesterday; they have been there for a long time but they were just allowed to operate.
Regarding the deceased boys, how many of them were forced to go to or have been abducted to the initiation schools? It does happen that boys are forced to go to the initiation schools even though they do not want to go. As Members of Parliament, we have to come up with solutions that will lead to the establishment of a commission of inquiry that will go deep in solving this problem. I am bringing this to your attention, Mr Baloyi, because we can only solve this if you are at the forefront.]
Mr Speaker, the news of the tragic deaths of 36 young men in Mpumalanga and Limpopo who had undergone traditional initiation ceremonies has left South Africa shocked and saddened. Instead of the celebration and ululation which this major achievement in the lives of young South Africans should bring, we are today filled with grief and disbelief.
I would like to send my condolences to the 36 families that lost their sons. Today, we feel your pain. We know that you must be battling to cope during this difficult time. There are few words that I can speak or reassurances that I can give that will soften the pain that a parent must be feeling at the loss of a child.
Fellow members, this must not be just another debate without action. This must be the start of an honest conversation. As a nation, we must start to help each other as to how we can assist in rectifying this problem. What we can do and must do as Parliament is to ensure that everything possible is done to ensure that this will not be allowed to happen again in the future because most of our children are still going to go there.
Culture, which must be respected in South Africa, does not have to, nor should it ever, threaten the lives of our children. It cannot be a blank cheque or an excuse and we cannot tiptoe about it. We must be open about it. We cannot sweep the matter under the carpet, as the member of the executive council for health in Mpumalanga, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, so shamelessly did. She did nothing because the culture prevents us.
With respect and recognition come responsibility. When people act in such a way that they disregard the safety of others, there must be consequences. Regardless of our political affiliation, we must, together as Parliament, promise the families of those who have lost their sons that we will use our oversight powers to ensure that there are consequences for those who have abused their positions in the name of culture. We need to investigate this problem thoroughly. We need to know what has gone wrong and what we must do to fix this problem.
It is for this reason that I called on Minister Richard Baloyi to set up an independent commission of inquiry to investigate what really went wrong during the initiation process. The commission must, after making its findings, present and table a report in Parliament to allow members of the respective families, the public and Members of Parliament to be fully informed of what truly transpired during the initiation. Thank you. [Applause.]