At least 39 young boys have died in 2025 already after taking part in a traditional South African Ulwaluko, a mass ‘initiation ceremony’ that aims to instil ‘good moral and social values’.
Male initiation is a cultural practice in South Africa that sees boys move into adulthood through circumcision, the South African government stated.
It’s understood this ritual is mostly common among two of the country’s most numerous ethnic communities, Xhosas and Ndebeles.
Traditionally, young boys attend initiation ‘schools’ in secluded areas in the mountains, with the Eastern Cape Department of Health remarking that about 20,000 head to each secret session.
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Previous reports said that, as well as completing the move from ‘boyhood’ to ‘manhood’ through circumcision, the school attendees are often subjected to assault, dehydration and starvation.
While many schools are considered legitimate, others are run as a way for ‘chancers to make money’ by people not qualified to perform the circumcision, said Chief Jongumhlaba Hlangu, a traditional leader in Nqgeleni.
Following the 2025 season, at least 39 boys are reported to have died, and dozens more have been left mutilated.
The statistic comes after 94 boys died in 2024, bringing the total sum of fatalities to 361 over the last five years, according to officials.
Why do boys undergo the circumcision ritual?
The male initiation traditionally prepares young men to be responsible men in society, as per the South African Government.
A study published in Sage Journals added that the ‘ritual aims to instil good moral and social values’.
While a supposed choice, those who do not elect to take part in the rite are often ostracized by their peers, with some claiming they have been bullied and beaten in the past.
What have officials said about circumcision initiation ceremonies?
Eastern Cape provincial chairperson Athol Trollip, of ActionSA, a South African political party, initially criticized these illegal schools back in 2023.
“It is common knowledge that the bulk of the deaths occur because of illegal initiation schools run by opportunistic, inexperienced, unqualified and unsupervised individuals who are responsible for the actual circumcision, post-procedural care and overall parental/familial oversight,” he shared.
“ActionSA urges the government of the Eastern Cape to do everything that is required to stop the unnecessary loss of lives during initiation season. The government must reconsider how initiation schools are registered and supervised.”
Eastern Cape government Traditional Affairs Minister Mlibo Qoboshiyane said: "It is only when we speak openly about how the practice is being exploited that we can hope to prevent these deaths."
He added that the government wants to work with communities to tackle the illegal surgeons, rather than interfering with tradition.
Male circumcision is offered by South African medical institutions
In the past, health experts have seen ‘horrific cases of rotting penises, septicaemia and inadvertent castrations’ following the circumcision ritual.
It’s said others die from dehydration and hypothermia, and that HIV has been spread because the same knife has been ‘used on large groups of boys’.
Because of the risk the initial schools pose and past health concerns, many public and private facilities offer medical male circumcision.
The South African National Department of Health (NDoH) has also endorsed Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) as an HIV prevention strategy for men in South Africa.
However, the BBC reported that many see the hospital alternative as ‘westernisation of their custom’.
Topics: Africa, Health, World News
Ella Scott