Good Hope College Initiation Site Management Plan

Site Management

The Good Hope College Initiation Site management shall consist of an initiation site committee, site manager, and associated government officials.  The Langa Initiation Site Committee is composed of 6-7 volunteer community members, and it is recommended that the Good Hope College Initiation Site Committee be of similar size. Much of the success of this site will rely on the involvement of these site committee members in the community.

Role of the Site Committee

The Good Hope College Initiation Site Committee will need to create awareness in the community about the initiation seasons and tell prospective initiates what needs to be done to be initiated.  As is done by the Langa Site Committee, an advertisement will need to placed in the local newspaper and on the radio, if possible, to spread news of the upcoming initiation season to the families of eligible males in Khayelitsha.  The site committee must then hold a meeting where the steps to be initiated are outlined.  It is advisable that the Good Hope College Initiation Site Committee follow the Langa Site Committee’s lead, and recommend trusted ikhankathas to the community.  This is another reason why the Site Committee members must be well-informed and involved in the Khayelitsha initiation community.

For safety reasons, the Good Hope College Initiation Site Committee needs to require that all initiates who undergo the ritual provide the ingcibi with a medical certificate that affirms their health status. Provision of the certificate to the surgeon prior to the date of circumcision (the first day of initiation) is suggested.

Site Manager

A site manager is needed to manage the site throughout the year.  The Good Hope College Initiation Site Committee shall recommend candidates to the South African Heritage Resource Agency and the Department of Arts and Culture, who will then hire an individual for the position.

The site manager is responsible for registering initiates, overseeing the site conditions, controlling access to the site, and enforcing site regulations.  When a boy arrives, the site manager will make sure he has a valid medical certificate in his possession, and proceed to register him.  The site manager must know how many initiates are on site at all times for their safety. If there are any major issues or problems, the site manager will alert the site committee in a timely manner.The manager should be able to be on site any day at any time to ensure the safety and security of initiates in the case of an emergency.

As part of his role to oversee site conditions, the site manager will evaluate the initiation site and report these conditions to the site committee, who then submits a monthly report to the Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Social Development so that they may make the necessary repairs and adjustments, and request a budget allocation when necessary.

Two site access gates, one swinging gate entrance and one pedestrian entrance, will be located on the northern side of the site. Cars shall only be permitted by the site manager to be on site for maintenance and emergency purposes.

The vehicular gate entrance allows for waste management trucks to enter the site in order to pick up the tires, sand, rubble, and miscellaneous trash items are dumped on site. Trash left on site presents health issues for the initiates and needs to be removed. The Initiation Site Committee shall evaluate the site’s conditions once every month, and then provide a written report to the City of Cape Town’s Department of Solid Waste to arrange trash pickups. Trash pickups should be arranged more frequently during the initiation seasons.

The pedestrian gate will remain open during the day but closed at night, to allow families and ikhankathas to enter the site on a regular basis so as not to inhibit the ritual while keeping the site secure at night.  The site manager shall ensure that both gates are closed during the off-season, and will only open them for maintenance purposes.

All vegetation currently on site should be left to grow, including the Port Jackson tree, which is preferred for its ability to provide screening and create a forest-like environment.  The site manager shall enforce these regulations (and check irrigation working, monitor toilets, etc.).

A list of regulations shall be created by the site committee and site manager to ensure the safety of initiates and the preservation of the initiation site. The proposed Langa rules discussed in Role of the Site Committee should be used initially in developing the rules for the Good Hope College Initiation Site.