As Komati News Flash recently highlighted in our recent Men’s Health feature, protecting the wellbeing of boys and men goes beyond encouraging regular health check-ups and healthy lifestyles. It also means ensuring that important cultural rites of passage are carried out safely, legally and with the dignity they deserve.
That message has now taken on even greater urgency. Government has renewed its call for parents and guardians to avoid illegal initiation schools and verify the registration status of any initiation institution before sending their children for traditional initiation. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) is urging parents to enrol their children in initiation schools that are legally registered with authorised healthcare practitioners.
The appeal follows a worrying rise in deaths, injuries and criminal activities during the current 2026 winter customary initiation season.
COGTA Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has expressed deep concern over the latest figures released by Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committees (PICCs), saying the tragedies highlight the need for greater collaboration to protect initiates while preserving one of South Africa’s most respected cultural traditions.
According to preliminary reports received as of 12 July 2026:
- 35 initiates have died.
- 75 initiates have been hospitalised.
- 180 initiates have been rescued from illegal initiation schools.
- 12 abductions have been reported.
- 58 illegal initiation schools were opened, with 42 already shut down.
- Law enforcement has opened 150 criminal cases, leading to 40 arrests.
- Three assault cases and one serious injury have also been recorded.
Minister Hlabisa has stressed that the continued operation of illegal initiation schools undermines the integrity of customary initiation through criminal activities, including kidnappings, abuse and unsafe circumcision practices.
The Minister has further said that protecting initiates, is a shared responsibility involving parents, traditional leaders, healthcare professionals, law enforcement agencies, municipalities and communities. “These figures are deeply concerning and serve as a stark reminder that much more must be done collectively to eliminate preventable deaths, injuries and criminal activities associated with customary initiation,” he said.
“These figures are deeply concerning and serve as a stark reminder that much more must be done collectively to eliminate preventable deaths, injuries and criminal activities associated with customary initiation,”
Choose Registered Initiation Schools
Parents and guardians are urged to ensure that initiation schools, traditional surgeons and traditional nurses are legally registered and authorised before allowing their children to attend. They are also encouraged to remain actively involved throughout the initiation process and report any suspicious or illegal activities to the relevant authorities. Law enforcement agencies have so far opened 150 criminal cases, resulting in 40 arrests. Three assault cases and one injury have also been reported.
To support these efforts, the Customary Initiation Act, 2021 provides the legal framework for regulating and overseeing customary initiation practices in South Africa. The Act protects initiates while preserving the cultural significance of the practice through the registration of initiation schools, inspections and enforcement measures.
“Respect for tradition must go hand in hand with respect for the law and every initiate’s constitutional rights to life, dignity and safety. Every initiate deserves to return home safely and with their dignity intact,” Minister Hlabisa said.
As the winter initiation season continues, government is calling on families to make informed decisions by choosing only registered initiation schools, helping ensure that this important cultural tradition remains both safe and honourable.
2026 Winter Initiation Season: By the Numbers
