A traditional South African ceremony where teenage boys are circumcised by unskilled ‘surgeons’ has ended with 39 deaths and left dozens more mutilated.
During the ‘initiation ceremony’, the ‘surgeons’ used old spears and razor blades to perform the eye-watering rituals known as Ulwaluko.
Without undergoing it, boys are not allowed to sit in on tribal meetings or take part in some social activities or get married, creating significant peer pressure to conform.
The secretive ritual is often the culmination of a visit to a traditional tribal school, which, once completed, is supposed to turn the boys into ‘men’.
It is seen as a rite of passage for many in South Africa, with former president Nelson Mandela once talking about its spiritual meaning before becoming accepted as a freedom fighter.
But their remote nature and the lack of basic hygiene mean boys can die from gangrene, sepsis and dehydration.
Others who backed out had also been stabbed, drowned or beaten to death.
Despite attempts by the country’s government to make the ceremonies safer, unlicensed schools still perform them with few safeguards.
When launching this year’s winter initiation season, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisi, vowed to take on the illegal schools and reduce the death toll.
He said: ‘We cannot accept any more deaths and owe it to these young men and their families to ensure their journey into adulthood is safe, dignified and respected and of course safe.
‘We cannot bring back the lives lost last year or before that, but we can honour them by ensuring that no family has to ever endure going through that pain ever again.’
To tackle the issue, the government has introduced the Customary Initiation Act to make it illegal for unregistered initiation schools to be set up. All traditional surgeons must now be qualified.
Police also have the power to shut down the illegal schools and arrest principals. But many ceremonies still go ahead at unlicensed schools, which charge families to put their boys through the initiation.
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The government says they are to blame for 80% of deaths. So far this year, 39 boys have died and dozens more were badly mutilated or seriously injured during the ceremonies, according to official data.
The figure for penile amputations is unknown. Scotty Dawka, 19, who went through the procedure, said: ‘I wanted to be looked up to as a man in my village by the elders.
‘It was very painful to go through, and I fell ill, but I was treated and survived.’
Despite the deaths, this year’s figure represents a huge drop from the previous year’s total of 93.
A total of 361 boys have died from the ceremonies in the last five years, according to official data.
Complications in 2024 led to 11 penis amputations after the twice-yearly three-month periods of initiation.
The rituals have been held for centuries in secret in specially built huts away from the villages, where nobody except the tribal elders and the young initiates can enter.
The Minister for the Department of Governance & Traditional Affairs had set a target of zero deaths for 2025 in registered schools.
Political party Action SA’s Eastern Cape leader, Athol Trollip, said: ‘The bulk of deaths are caused by illegal initiation schools run by opportunistic and unqualified individuals.
‘Now all the schools have to be registered and the surgeons properly trained.’
After the circumcision, the wounds are tightly wrapped with bandages that cut off the blood supply.
This means that within hours, the genitals can become gangrenous and need amputation.
Many others do not seek medical treatment despite being in agony because they are told their genitals will grow back and then die from sepsis.
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