I have been following the story on the initiation at Parktown Boys' High.
I would like to add my bit by saying that this is not initiation, but brutal assault.
If you move into a new house, in a new neighbourhood and your neighbour knocks on your door at 2am demanding that you stand outside on your front lawn and hits you with a cricket bat or a golf club, are you going to go and get back into bed and in the morning say to him "thanks for the initiation, bud"?
When I went to Standard 6 (or Grade 8 as it's known today), our "initiation" was having to wear our blazers, long sleeved shirts, ties and long socks in the middle of summer, carrying our adopted matric's schoolbag from the front gate to their register class and at break times having to supply sandwiches with yummy fillings (which your mother made). Nothing brutal or barbaric.
The hostel kids were made to bring their adopted matric a cup of coffee in bed, then make the bed and sweep their room and then carry their school bag from the boarding school to the first class of the day.
Each time a Standard 6 saw a matric, we had to stand to attention and say "forgive me for being a Standard 6, I wish I were you".
That was what our initiation consisted of, not being beaten with cricket bats and golf clubs.
To those who say in recent letters that some of our top sportsmen had also gone through initiation processes at their schools: are you telling us that Percy Montgomery was beaten during his initiation at SACS?
Judy van Niekerk
Wilgeheuwel, Gauteng
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