JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s winter initiation season has been one of the deadliest in recent years.
The CoGTA Department has confirmed the death of 43 initiates across the country.
Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape recorded the most fatalities.
Illegal initiation schools are being blamed for many of the deaths, with young initiates allegedly exposed to abuse and unsafe practices.
The rising death toll has sparked renewed calls for stronger action to protect initiates and hold those responsible to account.