PHUTHADITJHABA, South Africa (AP) — The 22-year-old Lamkelo Mtyho had no known health issues when he joined his peers, wrapped in blankets and smeared in clay, for the most important ritual of his ...

Naked, covered in white clay mud, and with his penis wrapped in leaves, Abongile Maqegu, 20, sits in a hut in South Africa recovering from his circumcision—a traditional ritual that can prove fatal.

As circumcision period approaches in the month of August, Bungoma County residents are anxiously waiting to practice traditional male circumcision (the cut) where 2000 initiates are expected to be ...