This month is one of the month where most part of the province (Limpopo) will fellow the old tradition of school initiations.
Most of the time many people across the province opens illegal traditional initiations where many children’s end up dying and some get un-safe initiations.
One other issue province faces is the force of taking little children’s into the mountain school without the permission of their parents.
This year Limpopo’s winter initiation season set to officially run for a whole month starting from 19 June to 19 July 2026.
To protect the lives of initiates, the provincial government has implemented several stringent measures and regulations for this season.
Approved Permits: The Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) has reviewed hundreds of applications to filter out bogus setups, ultimately approving over 700 legal schools.
Mandatory Medical Screening: No initiate will be admitted to any school without a prior clearance certificate from a professional healthcare facility.
The Limpopo Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) is deploying mobile clinics to remote regions to make pre-screening accessible.
Emergency Holding Shelters: Every principal or traditional surgeon must maintain a dedicated holding shelter.
Any initiate who arrives without proof of a medical screening must be kept in the shelter and referred immediately to the nearest health facility.
Age Restrictions: In accordance with the Limpopo Initiation Schools Act, admitting children under the age of 12 is strictly illegal.
NB: MEC Makamu has confirmed that CoGHSTA is working directly with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and local traditional leadership.
Any unregistered or non-compliant initiation schools discovered during the 2026 season will be shut down immediately. Operators running illegal camps face criminal charges, immediate arrest, and formal prosecution.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
