The Winter initiations season has claimed 43 lives of initiates. The Deputy Chairperson of the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission George Mahlangu spoke to Nghamula Chauke and said that cases vary per province from initiates who died from dehydration while others were part of illegal initiation schools which were non-compliant with safety regulations. Mahlangu says the commission has launched an independent investigative mechanism, known as the Section 7 Committee, to investigate the deaths and ensure accountability for any violations linked to the initiation season.