The circumcision death toll in the Eastern Cape has reached 19 with news on Thursday of the death of another would-be initiate, the provincial health department said.
An official said the 18-year-old youth died after being circumcised at an illegal initiation school at Mgwuenyane village in the Libode area of Transkei.
Police said no arrests have been made yet.
Earlier this week, the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities warned action is needed to stop initiation deaths from ruining the custom.
“These tragedies undermine the very essence of this historically tested cultural practice,” commission chairperson Mongezi Guma said.
He said the commission could not watch from the sidelines as self-serving people ruined the culture. It would meet other organisations involved in the matter and was planning an extensive consultative process with those running the custom.
The National House of Traditional Leaders last week announced a four-member task team to get “first-hand information” on circumcision problems.
The national house held a major conference, at a reported cost of about R1-million, on circumcision in 2004.
It proposed uniform provincial legislation on circumcision — the Eastern Cape and Limpopo both have circumcision Acts — as well as national legislation. — Sapa