41 young men die in South Africa from circumcision procedures

At least 41 young men died as a result of circumcision procedures as part of traditional initiation activities in South Africa in November and December, authorities have said.

Traditional initiation is a rite of passage into manhood for young men that is practised annually by various ethnic groups in Africa, including parts of South Africa. Among them are the Xhosa, Ndebele, Sotho and Venda communities.

Traditionally, young men are isolated at initiation schools where they are taught cultural values and responsibilities as they become adults. The circumcision part of the initiation results every year in the deaths of some initiates, forcing the government to intervene through legislation.

The laws force initiation schools to be registered with authorities, but this has not stopped the proliferation of illegal initiation schools where many of the deaths are reported.

Parents are expected to pay for their children to be accepted into the initiation school for the prescribed period, which for some is a financial motivation to start an unregistered initiation school.

Initiation periods typically run during winter (June-July) and summer (November-December) school holidays.