Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa convenes high level meeting with DDM champions and stakeholders on customary initiation related deaths

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, convened a high-level meeting yesterday, 23 December 2025, with relevant District Development Model (DDM) Champions and various stakeholders to deliberate on the continued loss of lives and the serious challenges associated with the initiation process across the country.

The meeting was attended by the Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Premiers, and MECs who are DDM Champions in the affected areas together with senior officials from various government departments and provinces, traditional leaders, representatives of the National Initiation oversight Committee and Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committees, local government councillors, and civil society representatives. The engagement underscored the urgency of collective action to address the persistent crisis facing the initiation sector.

The meeting was convened against the backdrop of deeply concerning statistics, which indicate that 36 initiates have died to date during the current initiation season. Of these fatalities, twenty were recorded in the Eastern Cape, thirteen in the Free State, two in Gauteng, and one in the North West Province. The meeting reaffirmed government’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the lives, dignity and well-being of young people undergoing initiation.

Deliberations focused on the state of initiation schools across the affected provinces, the resource and operational capacity of Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committees (PICCs), and ongoing challenges in the implementation of the Customary Initiation Act (CIA). Particular concern was raised about criminal activities linked to illegal initiation schools, including six reported cases of kidnapping in the Free State Province, all associated with unlawful operations.

The meeting further acknowledged long-standing and recurring challenges within the initiation process, including dehydration and severe injuries, often resulting from unsafe practices, illegal schools and the involvement of untrained practitioners.

Despite sustained advocacy and educational campaigns conducted by government and its partners, the tragic loss of initiates continues to persist. In response, it was noted that law enforcement agencies have intensified their efforts, resulting in over 40 arrests related to initiation-related offences during the current season, particularly in the Eastern Cape.

Minister Hlabisa emphasised that while initiation remains an important and respected cultural practice, it must never endanger lives. The Minister stressed that decisive action, accountability and cooperation across all sectors of society are non-negotiable in addressing this crisis.

The meeting reached consensus on the following key actions:

• Parents and guardians must play an active and primary role in the initiation process, including verifying the legality of initiation schools, the credentials of practitioners, and the conditions under which initiates are cared for.
• DDM Champions must intensify coordination and oversight in their respective districts, working closely with traditional leaders, law enforcement, health authorities, community structures and other stakeholders to promote and enforce safe initiation practices.
• Educational awareness campaigns must be strengthened, with a focus on the role of parents and guardians, legal requirements for initiation schools, the dangers of illegal practices, and the shared responsibility to protect initiates.
• The capacity of recovery centres must be prioritised.

Minister Hlabisa also informed the meeting that he would convene a national initiation meeting in February 2026, which will bring together all stakeholders involved in the initiation process, with the aim of producing concrete, actionable solutions to decisively address initiation-related deaths and other challenges.

The meeting agreed that resolving this crisis requires an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, firmly rooted in respect for culture, adherence to the rule of law, and the constitutional rights to life and dignity. “Government will continue to work closely with traditional leaders, communities, parents and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that initiation practices are conducted safely, lawfully and with the utmost regard for the well-being of initiates, said Minister Hlabisa”.

A follow-up high-level meeting will be convened next weekend to receive comprehensive status reports from all affected provinces following the Christmas period. The engagement will focus on strengthening coordinated interventions to ensure the safety and protection of initiates for the remainder of the initiation season.

For media enquiries, kindly contact:

Ms Pearl Maseko-Binqose
Media Liaison Officer to the Minister of CoGTA
Cell:+27 (82) 772 1709

Mr Legadima Leso
Head of Communications, CoGTA
Cell: +27 (66) 479 9904

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