Somlomo obekekileyo namalungu akhoyo, namhlanje ndithe mandingakhumshi, kuloko ndithethe ngolwimi lwakuthi. Umbutho we-UCDP udlulisa uvelwano olungazenzisiyo kwiintsapho zabo bakhwetha baseMpumalanga naseLimpopo abathe basutywa kukufa. Akuhlanga lungehlanga nto zakuthi silila sivelana nani kwintlungu enikuyo ngalo mzuzu. Ukufa kona ngenene akunaso isimilo kodwa ke nathi maKrestu siyatsho ukuba nako kuseza kubhangiswa ngenye imini.
Bantu bakuthi, xa kusakhiwa isizwe, kubalulekile ukuba sincome kwiindawo ezincomekayo, sigxeke xa kukho amakhwiniba. Kwiminyakana edlulileyo, iphondo laseMpuma Koloni likhe laduma kakubi ngenxa yesi sehlo sabakhwetha ababhubhayo.
Ngexesha uMmhlonitshwa, uGr Goqwana, wayephethe kwiSebe lezeMpilo, wenza yonke imigudu yokuba abantu badibane beze nezisombululo ezinokuba luncedo. Kubalulekile ukuba siyincome into enjalo kwaye sibandakanye namanye amaphondo ukuze akwazi ukufunda ngendlela efanelekileyo yokwenziwa kwesiko lolwaluko. Ezinye zezinto ezincomekayo kukubuyiselwa kwesizwe embo, kuba kaloku isiko lokwaluka lisiko lesizwe, hayi elomzi ngamnye. Kwakubalulekile ke ngoko ukuba izisombululo zidityanelwe ngabantu bebonke, bavisisane ngendlela yokwenziwa kweli siko. Abantu bavumelana ngesigqibo sokuba amakhwenkwe, ngaphambi kokuba oluke, kufuneka aqale kugqirha ukuze abonwe ukuba akulungele kusini na ukungena esuthwini.
Wonke ubani uyachaphazeleka kwingxaki elolu hlobo kwaye unegalelo anokulenza. Mandulo phaya yayingekho le ngxaki sijongene nayo namhlanje. Akulunganga ke ukuba sithi masibuyele endulo kuba siphila kumaxesha empucuko. Kufuneka sibone ukuba sidibanisa ntoni nantoni ukuze isincede. ISebe lezeNtlalo noPhuhliso linoxanduva lokufundisa abahlali ngokuhlalisana, ngokubonisana, ngokumanyana, ngokuncedisana nangokuphathisana.
Ngoko ke, kufuneka kucace futhi, nanjengoko besesitshilo esinye isithethi, ukuba ingcibi asingomntu othathwa naphi na, ngumntu ekuvanwa ngaye sisizwe nayilali iphela. Kufuneka kananjalo amakhankatha abekhona akwazi ukulondoloza abakhwetha xa besesuthwini. Zizinto esizicelayo ke ezo siyi- UCDP, kuba impucuko ayithi izinto zamandulo mazilahlwe zingaphindi zilandelwe.
Mna buqu, kundidanise kakhulu ukuqaphela ukuba ngexa aba bantwana bebesesuthwini, bebengenalo nebhoma eli, bebebekwe nje ebuhlanti, ingqele yonke iphelela kubo ngaphezu kwazo zonke ezinye izinto. Zizinto ekufuneka sizilwe ke ezo ukuze zingaphindi zenzeke. Ndiyabulela. [Laphela ixesha.] [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa speech follows.)
[Mr I S MFUNDISI: Hon Speaker and the members present, today I told myself not to speak English but to speak my home language instead. The UCDP sends their deepest sympathy to the families of the initiates from Mpumalanga and Limpopo who passed away. Our heartfelt condolences to you, our countrymen. We cry and sympathise with you through the pain you are feeling at this moment. Indeed, death does not have respect but we, as Christians, usually say that one day it will perish.
Fellow Africans, when we build a nation it is important to praise where praise is due and to criticise where there are shortcomings. A few years ago, the Eastern Cape province was notorious because of the deaths of initiates.
During the hon Dr Goqwana's tenure as the MEC for the department of health, he made every effort to consolidate the people so that they can come up with solutions that could be of help. It is important that we praise a move like that and also rope in other provinces so that they can learn the proper way of conducting the culture of initiation. The other things that are admirable are those of taking the nation back to its roots, because the culture of initiation is the culture of the nation, and not of a homestead. It is therefore important that the solutions are agreed upon by all the people concerned. They must reach consensus on how this culture is going to be approached. People must agree on the decision that the boys, before being initiated, must first go to the doctor so that they can be examined to see if they are ready for initiation school.
Everyone is affected by this kind of problem and has a contribution to make. In the olden days, we did not have the problems we are faced with today. It is inappropriate, then, to say we must go back to our old ways of doing things when we live in modern times. We have to see which strategies and measures are we going to employ to come up with a solution. The Department of Social Development has a responsibility to society with regard to living together, by advising one another, by being united, by assisting one another, and by co-operation. Therefore, it must also be made clear, as the other speaker has already said, that the traditional surgeon, ingcibi, is not a person who is taken just from anywhere; it must be someone whom the nation and the village have agreed on. The traditional nurses must also be there to carefully take care of the initiates when they are at the initiation school. These are things we, as the ACDP, ask for because enlightenment doesn't mean doing away with our primitive ways.
I am personally very disappointed to notice that the children who were at this initiation school did not even have a traditional hut. They were just placed in the kraal, and they suffered the cold, amongst other things. These are the things that we need to fight against, so that they don't happen again. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]