Overview
- Authorities confirmed 41 deaths linked to summer initiation rites in November and December, with monitoring intensified over the holiday period.
- Police have made 41 arrests tied to illegal initiation activities, including parents accused of falsifying ages to admit 13-year-olds.
- Eastern Cape has been identified as the hotspot, accounting for about 21 of the reported fatalities this season.
- Officials cite dehydration from harmful advice to avoid drinking water, along with infections and poor medical care, as leading contributors to the deaths.
- The government plans to mobilise localised courts, require that traditional surgeons be formally registered, and hold parents and organisers accountable under existing age and registration laws.