The Eastern Cape Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department reported that the death toll from the winter-initiation season has climbed to 13.
This comes after the provincial government continues to raise concerns about illegal circumcision schools.
Hundreds of boys have been rescued.
The provincial government said last month, more than 30 underage boys were rescued from an illegal initiation school in the Alfred Nzo district.
Last week, the North-West Department of Co-operative Governance reported it had rescued more than 100 initiates and closed down 17 illegal initiation schools throughout the province.
The Star also reported that, according to the provincial department, this was made possible through collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Provincial Initiation Co-Ordinating Committee (PICC).
“The shutting down of the schools follows the extensive oversight visits conducted by the PICC across the province, to clamp down on illegal initiation schools since the beginning of the 2024 winter initiation season in line with Section 15 of the Customary Initiation Act No 2 of 2021 (CIA),” the provincial department explained.
The committee was monitoring compliance in terms of Sections 20, 21, 23 and 24 of the CIA, verifying the qualifications and credentials of initiation school practitioners, principals, caretakers and traditional surgeons.
“They also inspected the facilities and resources to ensure they meet minimum standards as per Section 30 of the CIA,” department said.
These operations, the department said, have ensured the safety and health of numerous young initiates.
“The PICC has opened cases at various police stations and the school principals were arrested.”
In a statement issued last week, PICC Chairperson Kgosi Godfrey Ramosetlho Gasebone expressed his concern over the non-compliance of the initiation school principals which he says has resulted in the increase of illegal schools and the deaths of two initiates.
Gasebone said that the proliferation of illegal initiation schools is driven by money and greed by individuals who want to extort money from the parents of initiates.
“During our capacity building session which occurred in April 2024, the PICC…(did) its best to engage the school principals across the province about the new customary initiation law and to follow it before establishing the initiations school. This was done to prevent the emergence of illegal initiation schools.
“We are happy that the school principals have been arrested and they will face the full might of the law. We will continue to work with the police to clamp down on these illegal acts until everyone follows the dictates of the CIA,” Kgosi Gasebone said.
Meanwhile, SABC News h reported that the initiation season, which began in the middle of June in Limpopo, ended on Saturday with one death reported.
According to reports, the death of a 16-year-old, who was not named, was reported at an initiation school at Bungeni village in the Collins Chabane local municipality, last week.
Ending the season, thousands of initiates were said to have been have reunited with their families after spending a month in the mountains in various initiation schools in the province.
At the weekend, following the completion of the season, in Ga-Mothapo village outside Polokwane, parents of initiates, traditional leaders and initiates caretakers danced in celebration of the safe return of more than 400 initiates.
The Star