Authorities in Limpopo shut down seven illegal initiation schools, ensuring compliance with educational regulations.
Limpopo authorities have shut down seven illegal initiation schools in the Sekhukhune District after they continued operating beyond the province's official closure date, with more than 240 initiates affected.
The Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) said four female initiation schools with 127 initiates and three male initiation schools with 115 initiates were found operating unlawfully in the Nebo area within the Hlogotlou policing precinct.
The schools were closed on Wednesday following a joint operation by COGHSTA officials and the South African Police Service (SAPS), acting on information received about the non-compliant institutions.
Limpopo MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Basikopo Makamu, welcomed the closure of the schools, stressing that they had ignored the province's official deadline for customary initiation schools to cease operations.
