Media Release: Initiation Schools – GRDM’s Roles, Responsibilities, and Frequently Asked Questions

5 December 2024

Within the jurisdiction of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), initiation forums play a central role in ensuring the safe and culturally respectful management of initiation processes. Similarly, Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) ensure that public health standards are upheld throughout these traditional practices.

Structure of Initiation Forums

Each town in the district has an Initiation Forum comprising representatives from the GRDM, the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Western Cape Government Department of Health (WCG DOH), the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), Local Municipalities, Garden Route District Municipal Health Services, and members of the public.

Frequency of Initiation Seasons

Initiation seasons occur twice a year, in June and December. To prepare stakeholders, EHPs facilitate education sessions in schools and communities ahead of these months.

Education sessions for the summer season focus areas

• Awareness of communicable diseases (including tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV screening);
• Health and hygiene practices;
• Guidelines and prohibitions before attending an initiation school; and
• Community and high schools.

Over the past few months, all high schools and secondary schools were approached for education sessions. Similar training was also conducted within communities, including sessions for parents.

Key messages

• New Processes: Parents must follow specific steps, starting with completing registration forms granting permission for their child to undergo traditional initiation;
• Parental Involvement: Fathers, in particular, are encouraged to participate actively during health screenings;
• Health, Hygiene, and Nutrition: Importance of maintaining food safety, providing healthy meals three times a day, and ensuring a father figure is present 24/7 for each boy;
• The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (WCG DCAS) donated water bottles, first aid kits, and other essential supplies to various towns in the Garden Route District; and
• Local municipalities will ensure clean water is available at all initiation school sites.

Monitoring and Registration

Members of the WCG DCAS, along with Initiation Forum representatives, conduct regular visits to initiation schools. Parents are expected to remain available 24/7, with fathers taking leave to take responsibility for their children during initiation.

All initiation school sites, traditional surgeons, and traditional nurses must be registered with the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) for each season, in accordance with the Customary Initiation Act, No. 2 of 2021.

Contact Information
Johan Compion
Senior Manager: Municipal Health, Solid Waste, and Air Quality
Email: info@gardenroute.gov.za
Tel: 044 803 1300 | Cell: 082 803 5161

Feature Image: Mail & Guardian

ENDS

Media Release: GRDM and Stakeholders Conduct Collaborative Spaza Shop Blitz in areas of the Garden Route

For immediate release
8 November 2024

Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) and stakeholders took part in a joint operation targeting Spaza shops in the Nekkies/Damsebos area of Knysna on 30 October.

During this initiative, eleven (11) Spaza Shops were inspected by EHPs, the Knysna Municipality’s Law Enforcement Unit, as well as the South African Police Service. The inspections focused on:

• Validity of Certificates of Acceptability, per Regulation 638 under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act 54 of 1972);
• overall hygiene standards;
• proper food labelling;
• expired products; and
• the Illegal sale of poisons or pesticides to the public.

Following thorough inspections, one (1) Spaza shop was closed due to serious hygiene violations. Additionally, five (5) food samples from various shops were collected for chemical health analysis at the National Health Laboratory Services.

In the Klein Karoo region, the GRDM Manager for Municipal Health, Desmond Paulse, and Warrant Officer, M. Govender from the Dysselsdorp Police, conducted a multi-stakeholder inspection to ensure that every Spaza Shop in the area have a Certificate of Acceptability in terms of Regulation 638 of 2018. They further inspected the shops to determine whether they are in a good state of hygiene, sell healthy foodstuffs to the public and that foodstuffs are properly labelled and provided with date marking so that the public can make informed decisions when buying foodstuffs. Five (5) shops were inspected throughout this operation.

In the George area, during a recent blitz several establishments were inspected and four (4) shops including three (Spaza Shops) as well as one (1) restaurant in town were closed.

These closures were enforced due to poor hygiene standards and the absence of valid Certificates of Acceptability, as required under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act (Regulation 628 of 22 June 2018: General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, Transport of Food, and Related Matters).

Law enforcement will monitor the closed premises to ensure compliance, while follow-up inspections will be conducted by the respective EHPs overseeing these areas.

Other recent Municipal Health outreaches

In recent outreach efforts, GRDM’s Municipal Health team in Knysna conducted an educational session for food handlers from restaurants and grocery stores in Buffalo Bay, Goukamma, and Sedgefield. More than 30 food handlers attended, participating in presentations on food safety, handling, and hygiene practices. Attendees were assessed on the material covered and enthusiastically engaged in group discussions, applying principles learned during the session.

In Bitou, EHPs conducted a Health and Hygiene session at the Jack and Jill Educare Centre in Kranshoek, focusing on communicable disease prevention and handwashing. This initiative, as part of the recent Environmental Health Day, also highlighted the urgency of these practices amid rising measles cases.

EHPs strengthens operations through Food Safety Plan to Protect Public Health during the Festive Period

As the festive season approaches, GRDM’s Municipal Health Section is set to implement a Food Safety Plan to ensure safe food handling across all food premises, including stalls, retail shops, spaza shops, and mobile vendors in the District. The plan seeks to protect public health by reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses, also considering the recent food-poisoning related cases reported across the country.

EHPs, empowered under Regulation R328 of 20 April 2007, are responsible for ensuring that all food establishments meet hygiene standards to provide safe products to the public. The Food Safety Plan will focus on regions across the Garden Route, including the Klein-Karoo, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Hessequa, Bitou, and Outeniqua areas.

Targets and Operations

The campaign will target a variety of food premises and educational facilities, including informal traders, soup kitchens, wholesalers, taxi ranks, shopping centres, and early childhood development facilities. Inspections will assess pest control, chemical safety, labelling, and ventilation. Chemical and bacteriological sampling, including hand-swabs of identified foods, will be conducted in early November.

The plan also includes weekly awareness sessions and roadblocks in high-traffic areas to further promote health and hygiene. Community outreach events will involve both the general public and the business sector, with educational sessions and pamphlet distribution at food premises. Inspections will extend to weekends and after hours as needed, and non-compliant shops will face closure if operating without a Certificate of Acceptability.

Ultimate Risk

Failure to implement this food safety plan could pose a severe health risk to the community, potentially resulting in foodborne illnesses and, in extreme cases, fatalities. However, the GRDM is committed to actively monitoring and managing risks to safeguard the health of Garden Route residents.

Feature Image:  Recent blitz operations conducted in the George area.

ENDS