Family and friends ululated and hooted cars as they welcomed their children home after they attended local initiations schools in the Mokgolobotho, Maake and N’wamitwa areas among others. In Limpopo, a total of 68 329 initiates were recorded from 587 legal male and female initiation schools, 93 less than the 680 schools in 2022.

The MEC of Limpopo’s Department of Corporative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGSTHA), Basikopo Makamu has said the 2023 initiation school season was a success. The annual traditional practice started on Friday, June 16, to Tuesday, July 18. The police in partnership with COGSTHA identified 44 illegal initiation schools and as a result, four of them were closed down and 14 cases were opened against some of these schools.

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Makamu confirmed that three initiates died in the province, a 44-year-old Zimbabwean man in the Vhembe area, a female initiate, and a 14-year-old boy from Capricorn District Municipality. “As we mourn, we want to remind parents of initiates to adhere to the law that governs initiation schools. In two cases this year, children passed away due to parents forgetting to provide vital information and medication for the medical conditions of their children,” Makamu said.