NDEBELE people have had to put their cultural practices on hold when the Covid-19 pandemic hit Mzansi.
But on Sunday 6 February, King Makhosonke II announced there would be an initiation season for 2022.
He made the announcement at his palace near KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga. He said young boys will gather at the king’s kraal on 27 April.
The king told a gathering made up of chiefs, izinduna and government officials that the boys would return from the mountain on 1 July.
“The pandemic has subsided, but there will still be terms and conditions to be followed in the process.
“Parents want their kids to go through the rite of passage because they have grown up,” he said.
Makhosonke announced the Komjekejeke annual commemoration would return on 5 March.
“People have been waiting anxiously to know about it. It will continue and more than 2 000 people will be allowed at the event,” he said.
Parents Sigwadi Mahlangu (64) and Matjhila Mabhena (56) said the king’s announcement was music to their ears. They said their boys had been waiting for a long time for the announcement.
