ABSTRACT
context: The practice of culture is to protect people and preserve life. No culture allowed becoming a danger to human beings, sacrificing young lives year after year. The community keeps turning a blind eye to one death after the other because of tradition and culture. Objective: The main objective of the study was to describe the deaths that occurred between 2004 and 20014 due to traditional circumcisions. method: This is a record review descriptive study. The data were collected from the Forensic Pathology Laboratory of Hospital Complex from 2004 to 2014. results: A hundred and fifty-five cases of circumcision-related deaths were reported over a period of 11 years (2004-14) in the region of South Africa. The causes of death included septicaemia (66-42.6%), blunt trauma (6-3.9%), dehydration (4-2.6%), renal failure (3-1.9%), hypothermia (2-1.2%), and pulmonary thrombo-embolism (2-1.2%). conclusions: Death due to circumcision is unethical and unacceptable conduct due to unacceptable cultural practices. This practice must be banned. A strong political message needs to be sent to the community as well as to the practitioners of circumcision.