Thirty initiates have died and over 80 have been admitted to hospitals in the Eastern Cape.
It’s only halfway into the two-month-long Ulwaluko summer season which runs until 12 January.
Sibonokuhle Mthombeni (17) died on Monday at his initiation-hut during a heavy storm.
Another initiate is lying in ICU with 60 percent burn wounds as his mother keeps watch.
In a recent statement, CoGTA Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called on all role players, especially the custodians of cultural practices working with health practitioners, to put in place the necessary preventative measures to avoid further casualties.