CHIEF initiators from the Free State were awarded for not having deaths during the 2023 initiation seasons.
King Kgosikgolo Lehasa II awarded more than 20 chief initiators at the Vereeniging City Hall on Friday, 29 March.
He said he acknowledged the culture being reserved by this safe practice.
"Culture is lost not only in initiation schools but also in our homes as people no longer do things right," he said.
Lehasa said he's fighting to bring back the dignity of initiation school and this year (2024) he will be taking over the initiations, and all initiators are going to do things by his rules if not so they should not even attempt to initiate.
"I'm awarding men and women initiators because they listened to my rules during the 2023 initiation season, and no fatalities were reported in the Free State," he said.
"Gauteng initiation schools have made people undermine our culture, as boys die in the mountains, and they also come out as gangsters, and that will one day be history as I'm taking over this culture," he said.
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Lehasa said he's taking over the initiation culture as it belongs to the chief, and Free State initiators and all partners deserve recognition.
"Last year, I made sure that all initiation schools had all health machinery and the Department of Health to inspect all the boys in the mountains," he said.
One of the initiators, Makhabane Ndalane, said they appreciated the king's recognition and made them proud of their work.
"We don't do initiation because of money but we're initiating to keep our culture alive and protecting it from being turned into a joke that our kids will never know or respect in the future," he said.
He said they're expecting an influx of boys this winter season. In Gauteng, there will be no initiation school during winter, so all the boys will be heading to the Free State and the province is ready for them.
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