Pakistan family’s perfomance of a Xhosa custom irks traditional leaders

By Sanele James

 

Traditional leaders and villagers at Mdeni, near Qumbu, have questioned a Pakistan family performing a Xhosa custom called Intonjane for their 21-year-old daughter Slahom Ikbal.

 

Intonjane is a custom which seeks to teach a girl about the proper and important aspects of womanhood, preparing her for a life of marriage and the responsibilities and rights of being a wife, a mother and a leader. The Intonjane ceremony has three segments, umngeno (joining), umtshatiso wentonjane (slaughter of cow) and the final stage umgidi (welcoming home ceremony).

 

The Pakistan family shocked residents of a small village called Mdeni in Qumbu after they performed the ritual for their daughter.

 

The AmaHlubi tribe chief, Chief Jongisizwe Ludidi strongly condemned such incidents saying the government should intervene.

 

“These people don’t know the basics of these customs. Sometimes they don’t follow the necessary procedures and that’s one of the reasons you find complications in other customs like circumcision,” he said.

 

After the ritual was performed, the headman of the Mdeni community, Mr Malizo Nkohla, quickly called a community meeting to question the issue as the Mdeni community members were fuming. Some claimed that what the Pakistani family did is an insult to the Xhosa tribe. The Ikbal family was also invited to the meeting.

 

In the meeting the Ikbal family was strongly condemned by the headman of the village as he said the custom wasn’t performed properly and it is an insult to the Xhosa nation as a whole.

 

The father of Slahom Ikbal, Shanez Ikbal said: “I don’t see anything wrong in celebrating my daughter’s 21^st birthday this way.  To me a person is not from where they are born but rather where they grow up because that is the place that forms their identity. And I have stayed here in South Africa for eight years.”

 

With the advent of globalisation in the form of social networks, internet and television the world has become smaller and people are embracing each other’s cultures.

 

The incident in Qumbu is not an isolated one. During the winter holidays, known to be the season for initiation schools, two Nigerian boys were taken to an illegal initiation school by unknown men in a village called Dangwane near Mount Frere.

 

Mandla Goba, a concerned resident said: “To me seeing foreign people embracing our customs is not a bad thing at all; it proves that they want to be part and parcel of the community and we should expect much more of these occurrences.” – WSU-SNA

 

Disabled sidelined when it comes to employment: DPSA

By Sibonelo Gamnca

People with disabilities face grave challenges when it comes to finding employment. Scarce job opportunities mean that disabled people have to fend for themselves and rely on grants to survive.

Mncedisi Nkota, the provincial manager at Deaf People South Africa (DPSA), says when it comes to employment disabled people are sidelined.

“Advertisments in newspapers encourage disabled people to apply but rarely do they ever get shortlisted,” he said.

Mncedisi says there is a lot of discrimination when it comes to finding employment.

“Employers do not trust the abilities of a disabled person,” he said.

Mr Ndabeni, a teacher at St Thomas School for the deaf, says there are job opportunities for people with disabilities.

“It depends on the kind of disability. Nowadays in the work environment interpreters are provided to assist in the communication with deaf people.”

Sibulelo Ntsangani, who is quadriplegic and the chairperson of the Disability Forum in East London also believes disabled people are sidelined.

Sibulelo says the very reasonable accommodation that is spoken about in the employment equity act is not available.

“Working conditions are not favourable, disabled people are still a burden on other people in the workplace,” she said.

Lwandile Ndlazi who works at DPSA says it is difficult to have statistics for employed deaf people. The Eastern Cape Disability Economic Empowerment Trust (ECDEET) only started recently to compile such a study. Currently the number of unemployed deaf youth in the province is 37 2296.70.

“If a deaf person is qualified and the environment is conducive he/she can be employed anywhere except in high risk areas i.e. police, fire department etc.,” he said.

Getrude Mpepe, who has a disabled child, believes that disabled people should try by all means to be independent. We cannot deny that they are treated differently by society hence they cannot find jobs.

Mncedisi and Sibulelo say that whenever they become vocal to the government about the challenges faced by disabled people they are ignored.

“We ask our councilors why as disabled people we are represented by people who are not disabled,” said Sibulelo.

There are various forums that are known to assist disabled people. One of them is the disability forum for disabled people in East London which is a product of the Buffalo City Municipality.

“The problem with forums that represent disabled people is that they are government run,” said Mncedisi.

“These forums are inactive, and policies that are in place are not actually implemented in reality,” says Sibulelo.

Sibulelo says that the serious challenge that they face apart from discrimination as quadriplegics is transport.

“I have to pay R200 to get to town, because taxis cannot accommodate me,” she said.

Monde (36), who is deaf, says that he feels as if disabled people are neglected when it comes to employment opportunities and that their challenges are not being dealt with.

“It is not easy communicating as I am misunderstood most times, people just feel sorry for me and others think I am not capable of working,” said Monde

“There is too much price associated with hiring a disabled person like ensuring that the environment is conducive for him/her,” he said.

“As disabled people we strive to educate each other about our rights so that we might raise awareness about the dangers of prejudice,” said Sibulelo.

In terms of the Employment Equity Act, the focus is on the effect of a disability on the person in relation to the working environment, and not on the impairment. The Act defines people with disabilities as “people who have a long-term or recurring physical or mental impairment, which substantially limits their prospects of entry into, or advancement in, employment.” – WSU-SNA

New liquor trading by-law a ‘threat’ to jobs

Buffalo City Municipality is proposing new hours for all the places selling liquor and offering alcohol for consumption. Will the new by-law reduce the drinking sprees that so frequently happen in the Eastern Cape? Photographer: Asiphe Msindwana

By Lulamela Gangathele
Buffalo City residents have raised their voices against a new liquor trading by-law proposed by the municipality.
The by-law aims to regulate the hours during which alcohol may be sold. Proposed trading hours for bottle stores and grocery store’s wine shelves where alcohol is not consumed on the premises are from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm and on Sunday from 9am to 1pm.
For the other outlets such as taverns where alcohol is sold and consumed within the premises, the proposed hours are Monday to Thursday from 8am to 10pm, Friday to Saturday from 8am to 12 midnight and Sundays from 12noon to 10pm.
Busani Ndosi Radebe, of Ndosi’s Tavern and CJ Chocolate Tavern in Southernwood, said he is unhappy with the hours proposed for taverns: “With the new operating hours we won’t make enough money to pay our workers and we can’t just take their jobs, it would be unfair.”
Thabo Mvandaba, a worker in Emlanjeni tavern, said: “The customers want to stay all night and this means good business for the owner, regulating the hours will affect the business in a negative way.”
Another liquor store worker, Siyanda Mgebe, said this is a threat to their jobs because if the hours are to be regulated they will be working fewer hours than usual and that means a decrease in their wages. “Trading hours should rather be increased.”
Some liquor sellers are concerned about their businesses, but Nokuzola Mpengesi, who also runs a tavern, said she is now clear on the trading hours although at first she saw this as a threat to her business. “I was worried because this business is my only source of income, but everything was explained at the drafting.”
Bomkazi Zide, a citizen said: “I think this is a good idea as it may reduce the number of road accidents.”
Sivuyile Mbanga, a customer said: “This is unfair to us because many customers work throughout the week and they only get to unwind during weekends, which is when alcohol is in demand.”
Zola Tyikwe, chief inspector of the Eastern Cape Liquor Board, said the announcement of liquor by-laws is the responsibility of municipalities. “With regard to BCM’s liquor by-laws, the process of community consultations has not been finalised. In essence BCM does not have liquor trading by-laws.”
The draft shows that any person who contravenes any provision of the by-law will be liable of conviction to a penalty not exceeding R2 000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both the fine and imprisonment.
Residents voiced their opinions at public hearings in March. The by-law still remains a draft. – WSU-SNA