The OR Tambo district, long regarded as the Eastern Cape’s deadliest initiation hotspot, is showing signs of improvement this winter after recording fewer deaths alongside the province’s strongest enforcement campaign against illegal initiation schools.
But despite the progress, the district still accounts for the highest number of deaths recorded during the current initiation season.
The latest figures were presented to the Eastern Cape legislature’s ad hoc committee during an oversight visit to AmaXesibe in Alfred Nzo on Thursday, where members assessed compliance with the Customary Male Initiation Act.
According to the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, nine initiates have died across the province since the winter season began on June 8.
“The lives of our sons are too precious to be lost to negligence or criminality”
Three of those deaths were recorded in OR Tambo, two in Alfred Nzo, and one each in Chris Hani and Buffalo City Metro.
Most causes remain under investigation.
Information on the location of the two most recent deaths has not yet been confirmed.
The province has opened 27 criminal cases, resulting in 22 arrests and the closure of 10 illegal initiation schools.
OR Tambo accounts for 19 of the criminal cases, 19 arrests and all 10 illegal school closures.
Eastern Cape initiation co-ordinating committee chair Nkosi Gwazinamba Matanzima said closer co-operation between traditional leaders, health officials and law enforcement was beginning to produce results.
“Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit, especially in districts like OR Tambo where partnerships between traditional leadership, law enforcement and health practitioners have become stronger,” he said.
The district has historically recorded some of the province’s highest death tolls during initiation seasons.
In the 2025 summer season, eight initiates died in OR Tambo alone, while authorities faced criticism over slow enforcement and the continued operation of illegal initiation schools.
This year’s lower death toll, together with tougher enforcement, has been welcomed as evidence that targeted interventions are having an impact, though officials cautioned that the season still has several weeks to run.
The legislature’s 14-member ad hoc committee has now identified Alfred Nzo as its priority district for intensified oversight.
Committee chair Mlibo Qoboshiyane said strict compliance with initiation legislation remained essential.
“Strict compliance with the law is non-negotiable. We are here to ensure that every initiate goes home alive and healthy.
“The lives of our sons are too precious to be lost to negligence or criminality,” he said.
According to the committee’s report, Alfred Nzo has 101 registered initiation schools, with two illegal schools identified in Umzimvubu.
A total of 1,975 boys underwent pre-screening, with 1,416 medically cleared to attend initiation schools.
Authorities also identified 71 illegally circumcised boys. The district has recorded two deaths but no penile amputations.
Qoboshiyane expressed concern about tensions between traditional leaders and monitoring teams in parts of Alfred Nzo, particularly in eMaxesibeni.
He also warned of growing resistance to monitoring teams in some communities, saying officials had encountered hostility while trying to enforce compliance and rescue illegally initiated boys.
“We are deeply disturbed by new tendencies in areas of Port St Johns where monitoring teams are threatened, and boys are hidden in bushes to avoid inspection of compliance and adherence to laid-down rules,” he said.
During the 2025 summer initiation season, monitoring teams rescued boys — some as young as 12 — who had been hidden in forests near Port St Johns after parents attempted to prevent officials from removing them from illegal initiation schools.
Provincial departments have expanded their support during this year’s season.
Co-operative governance and traditional affairs has deployed 22 vehicles to monitoring teams and supplied water to schools facing shortages.
The health department has assigned 54 professional male nurses, dedicated hospital wards and medical supplies, while the SAPS has appointed initiation co-ordinators at police stations to strengthen enforcement.
Matanzima said the province’s “Back to Basics: Serving Our Communities Better” campaign, which included community awareness programmes and training for traditional surgeons and nurses, was aimed at preventing further deaths before the season ends later this month.
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