Only 20 initiation schools have been approved in the Vhembe District for the 2026 winter initiation season, which will run from 19 June to 19 July.
Across Limpopo, the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) has approved 771 initiation schools while rejecting 186 applications that failed to comply with legal requirements.
Speaking at a media briefing in Polokwane on Wednesday, 10 June, CoGHSTA MEC Basikopo Makamu said the department, together with the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC), had intensified preparations to ensure that customary initiation is conducted safely and in accordance with the law.
The Ndebele Royal Council was granted a special exemption to operate initiation schools from 2 May to 26 June in line with its customs and traditions.
Makamu said the PICC had received 957 applications, comprising 557 male and 400 female initiation schools. Following a rigorous adjudication process, 771 applications were approved and gazetted on 20 May, including 471 male and 300 female schools.
“The law is not a suggestion. It is a safeguard. We will not compromise the safety of our children by approving schools that do not meet the legal and administrative threshold,” Makamu said.
He said the rejected applications failed to comply with provisions of the Customary Initiation Act, with some applicants failing to meet prescribed requirements or provide written approval from landowners and valid title deeds.
Makamu warned against the operation of illegal initiation schools, saying offenders would face prosecution. He also reported that Ndebele initiation schools currently in session had recorded no fatalities, hospitalisations or major injuries.
Makamu urged parents to ensure that initiates undergo medical screening and complete mandatory consent forms before admission, stressing that a safe initiation season depends on the collective efforts of government, traditional leaders and families.
The names of the following initiation schools in Vhembe have been gazetted:
