The provincial health department’s safe circumcision senior manager Dr Luvuyo Bayeni said the 28 deaths were nine fewer when compared with the 37 initiates who lost their lives in the 2014 winter season. The tally included that of a deaf Eastern Cape initiate allegedly assaulted at the weekend and who died as a result of his injuries.The initiate died at a Venterstad clinic.Eastern Cape co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) spokesman Mamkeli Ngam said an inquest docket was opened on July 18.“Police are awaiting results of the post mortem results. They are investigating this incident. No suspect has been arrested or linked to the case.”Of the 28 initiate deaths‚ 19 were recorded in the OR Tambo district‚ three in Chris Hani‚ two each in Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi and one each in Buffalo City Metro and Amathole.Officials from the OR Tambo district said they would hold a three-day traditional initiation summit next week.During the winter season evaluation in Mthatha on Sunday‚ the initiation monitoring team said almost 50% of the deaths were reported from legal initiation schools.OR Tambo district traditional initiation monitoring committee chairman Gcobani Tyali said: “Of the 19 deaths‚ eight were from legal initiation schools while 11 died in illegal initiation schools.“It is shocking that we have so many deaths from the legal initiation schools where we should be expecting not a single death. Eight is a huge figure and is an embarrassment to all of us.”As of July 29 last year‚ 38 initiates had died in the Eastern Cape of which 26 were from the OR Tambo district.The figure could‚ however‚ still rise.“We always have problems and misfortunes in this week as there are still some initiates in initiation schools and in hospitals‚” said Tyali.He said the worst performing subdistrict was Nyandeni (Libode‚ Ngqeleni and Port St Johns) which recorded eight deaths followed by Mhlontlo (Qumbu and Tsolo) with six.Nyandeni had 1316 illegal initiates and only 860 legal initiates.A total of 189 initiates were admitted to hospitals in the OR Tambo district. So far 37 assaults cases – with 28 from Nyandeni – have been reported. Only five arrests have been made.“The assaults left some initiates dead while others were seriously injured. This thing of assaulting initiates should come to a stop as it is not even part of the ritual. Most of the deaths are caused by assaults. Very few died of circumcision complications‚” said Tyali.The chief said some boys died from dehydration while others had defaulted on chronic medication.Tyali believed the three-day summit planned for next week would come up with solutions. – RDM News Wire, Daily Dispatch..