The O.R. Tambo District Initiation Forum, under the leadership of Chief Lutuka, is participating in the Provincial Initiation Technical Task Team (PITT) Evaluation Session, currently taking place in Gqeberha. This provincial gathering brings together key stakeholders to reflect on the 2025 Winter Customary Male Initiation Season and evaluate whether the protective measures put in place were properly implemented.
Over the course of the winter season, O.R. Tambo District made several positive strides. Weekly monitoring by the District Initiation Forum was rolled out, along with awareness campaigns that reached all local communities. A significant breakthrough was the rescue of 16 underage initiates from illegal initiation sites in Ntsimbini, Ward 07, Port St. Johns. In addition, the district hosted the Provincial Imbizo Yamadoda in Nyandeni Local Municipality, while the area also received an oversight visit from National Minister Hon. V. Hlabisa and other provincial leaders.
Despite these efforts, the forum’s presentation at the Gqeberha evaluation raised pressing concerns. The report highlighted initiation schools hidden in difficult and remote areas, underage circumcisions, and illegal operations that ignore the Customary Initiation Act No. 2 of 2021. Some parents and traditional leaders were also flagged for failing to cooperate with regulations, putting young lives at risk.
To move forward, the O.R. Tambo team is calling for practical, on-the-ground changes, including:
Deploying councilors and traditional leaders to improve local oversight. Intensive training for iingcibi (traditional surgeons) and amakhankatha (caregivers) to enforce lawful and safe initiation practices.
Summer education campaigns that combine sport, culture, and school engagement to reach youth effectively. Establishing satellite rescue centres in each local municipality to respond faster to emergencies.
Supplying protective gear and sustainable funding to strengthen monitoring operations across the district. Chief Lutuka and the forum reaffirmed their dedication to ending initiation-related deaths. Their unwavering pledge:(“Let them go alive, and return alive, as men.”)
The session continues with participation from key institutions including Nyandeni, Mhlontlo, KSD, and Port St. Johns Local Municipalities, the Eastern Cape Office of the Premier, SALGA, Cogta EC, and others committed to upholding the safety and dignity of this vital tradition.
