Off the wire
• Lifting of capital controls in Greece may release 1 bln-euro investments within six months: NBG study  • Zambia prepares for influx of Congolese refugees  • 1st LD-Writethru-China Focus: Xi says people first in seeking economic growth  • Kenya probes revenue officials over ivory smuggling  • Ukraine hands over 17 stolen paintings to Italy's museum  • Iranian President visits Armenia to expand cooperation  • Urgent: Taliban attacks Afghan lawmaker's house in Kabul: police  • EU adopts stronger rules to fight terrorism financing  • Year-end shopping spree lifts Taiwan's export orders in November  • CBA roundup: Shanghai back to winning track, Guangdong seals 15th straight victory  
You are here: 　 Home

Death toll from botched circumcision rises to 28 in S. Africa

Xinhua, December 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

The death toll from botched circumcision has risen to 28 in South Africa since the summer initiation season began, authorities said on Wednesday.

Among the deaths, 21 were reported in the Eastern Cape Province, which has the highest rate of initiation-related deaths every year, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (DCGTA) said in its latest update on the initiation deaths.

In the corresponding period last year, the Eastern Cape reported 17 deaths.

The rise in initiation-related deaths in Eastern Cape "is unacceptable", DCGTA spokesperson Legadima Leso said.

Most of the deaths were reported in bogus initiation schools, according to the DCGTA.

A "Zero Deaths" campaign, launched by the DCGTA in cooperation with local communities, is in full swing. Government-dispatched teams currently are monitoring the situation across the country during the initiation season.

According to tradition in many African countries, young males have to be circumcised as the passage to adulthood.

In 2015, during winter and summer initiation seasons, approximately 101 initiates lost their lives, and in the last 10 years there has been an estimated 1,000 penile amputations after the ritual went wrong. Endit