Good Hope College Initiation Site Visits

On the first visit to the proposed initiation site, the team identified potential borders, important geographic features such as a hill in the western region of the proposed site, and areas where initiates currently construct their huts.  Concerns noted during these visits included the steep grade of the land near Spine Road and the location of the huts among the thin cover of bushes on the site.

City officials confirmed that the Khayelitsha population is far larger than the population of Langa, where many of the 240 initiates who annually complete their initiation at the Langa Initiation Site live.  The Langa Site staff personnel estimated that the 8,2-hectare site could accommodate up to 200 initiates at any one time, allowing for continued use of the site with increased attendance.  Given that at least as many initiates who go to the Langa Site annually are expected to utilize the Khayelitsha Site, it was deemed illogical that the proposed Khayelitsha Site be developed on a mere 1,8 hectares.

Preliminary designs for the initiation site were then developed utilizing up to 8,2 hectares of land bordered by Spine Road to the south, Mew Way to the east, and the fence line of the Denel ammunition manufacturing company on the northwest.  Preliminary maps of the site included:

• Site area and perimeter
• Current location of initiation huts, land elevation, and visibility from surrounding landmarks based on photo documentation, GPS, and Google Earth tools