Three Transkei boys have been admitted to Mthatha's Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital with gangrenous penises following illegal circumcisions, the Eastern Cape health department said on Wednesday.
Spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the boys, from the Ngqeleni area, would receive specialist care in a bid to avoid amputation.
They were part of a group of six originally taken to Libode's St Barnabas Hospital.
Kupelo said a 20-year-old man was arrested in the Libode area on Wednesday morning after he circumcised six other under-age youths.
Health department officials were on Wednesday afternoon preparing to rescue eight youths from an illegal circumcision school in the Ngqeleni area following information that they were ill.
Kupelo said it had emerged that a 14-year-old arrested last week for performing illegal circumcisions on his age-mates, was responsible for previous botched operations that had already resulted in nine penis amputations.
The youth, who had been released from custody, was being dealt with under the newly-implemented Child Care Act.
He was scheduled to appear before a traditional council on Thursday. - Sapa