The National Department of Traditional Affairs and the North West Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department have launched an awareness campaign to tackle illegal initiation schools ahead of the 2026 summer season.
The programme comes as South Africa grapples with a sharp rise in initiation-related deaths. Official figures show 49 young men and boys died during the 2026 winter initiation season between May and July, nearly double the 25 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025.
The 2025 summer season, which ran from November 2025 into January 2026, claimed 48 lives.
Mandatory registration not followed
Under the Customary Initiation Act of 2021, registering an initiation school is mandatory. Section 26 (02) of the act states that registration must be done at least three months before the start of the initiation season.
The 2026 summer initiation season begins on 6 November for non-schooling initiates and 10 December for school-going initiates. All pass-out activities must be finished by 8 January 2027.
The awareness campaign in Mahikeng brought together government departments, initiation practitioners, caregivers, parents and prospective initiates. The goal is to achieve zero deaths and zero illegal initiation schools.
Mahikeng identified as hotspot
Andries Stemmer, deputy chairperson of the North West Provincial Initiation Coordination Committee, explained the legal requirements that guide how initiation schools should work.
“The law provides for standardised processes from the application for permits through the PICC (Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee), until the last phase when initiates return from the schools. This is done to deal with illegal and unregistered schools, and other unlawful activities that are key contributors to deaths, injuries and negligence in many instances,” Stemmer said.
While traditional authorities must sign applications, Stemmer said registration happens only through PICC structures. “This enables us to monitor the schools and ensure that all processes are above board.”
Mahikeng has been identified as one of the hotspots for illegal initiation school operations, with cases including the kidnapping of children, fronting and gangsterism.
Nationwide crisis continues
The 2026 winter season deaths included 19 in Mpumalanga, 14 in Eastern Cape, four in North West, three in Limpopo, two in Gauteng and two in Free State. Of the 49 deaths, 39 happened at legal schools and 10 at illegal schools.
Government figures show that 669 initiation-related deaths and 124 penile amputations were recorded nationally between 2016 and 2025.
During the 2026 winter season, authorities identified 58 illegal schools, closed 42, rescued 180 initiates and took 75 to hospital. The season resulted in 165 criminal cases and 47 arrests.
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Community involvement needed
Speaking for the Mahikeng Initiation School Committee, Mamelani Tshabalala called for more community involvement, particularly when dealing with problems in schools.
Tshabalala said the committee has identified bullying among learners who have undergone initiation towards those who have not.
“We therefore make a call to parents to assist the Department of Education in instilling high-level discipline at home and to become involved in the affairs of their children. We cannot build a future generation of leaders on a baseline of lawlessness and violence,” Tshabalala said.
Abram Sithole, secretary of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, said local traditional leaders must preserve culture and customs through intergenerational dialogue.
“Let us transfer indigenous knowledge through intergenerational engagements to share wisdom and ideas; this is how we can find each other. It is important to openly address critical issues such as gender-based violence and femicide and substance abuse that fuel problematic societal behaviour,” Sithole said.
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