SWAZI PUPILS DROP OUT FOR KWETFWASA IN SA

PIGG’S PEAK – A concern has been raised on the large number of pupils who abandon school for initiation as traditional healers (Kwetfwasa).

In fact, it appears that kwetfwasa is now the ‘in thing’ as young people are said to be dropping out of school to take up ‘their calling’.
Kwetfwasa is a period of initiation one undergoes before becoming a herbalist, traditional healer or soothsayer (umbholofidi).

Children, including those in primary school, are said to be dropping out to enrol in South African kwetfwasa (initiation) ‘schools’. Even though the figures could not be immediately confirmed, it was estimated from random sources that close to 10 pupils from schools around the northern Hhohho dumped their classes for kwetfwasa.

Though kwetfwasa can be done in Swaziland, it is said that most of the pupils cross to South Africa (SA).
South African traditional healers, often referred to as tangoma are preferred according to some relatives as they are viewed as powerful, particularly around the Mpumalanga area. Some of the relatives also said people living along the borderline preferred to cross to SA because it was nearer and they lived there for almost a year.

Concerned relatives who spoke on condition of anonymity narrated how this was often kept a secret to avoid their children being completely removed from schools.
“We had to lie and tell head teachers that the child is sick so that should he want to continue with school after the initiation period, he can be allowed to do so without giving much details,” said relatives who asked to remain anonymous.
Relatives are divided over the sudden increase in the number of pupils who are embracing kwetfwasa.

While some of the relatives said this could be attributed to what children were watching in soap operas such as Generations: The Legacy, others claim this was a genuine calling.
“All along, in African culture, tangoma start when one is still very young,” they said. However, others insist that the soap operas were making kwetfwasa look trendy.
Actress Letoya Makhene is one popular actress who is also a traditional healer in real life.

The kwetfwasa schools in SA, which are managed by traditional healers, charge a minimum of E15 000 to enrol, according to some of the local traditional healers who were reached for comment. The E15 000 excludes funds paid to for the outfits associated with traditional healers. It can take up to a year for one to eventually graduate from initiation schools.

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