Cape Times

Saving initiates, tracking poachers

- Sandiso Phaliso sandiso.phaliso@inl.co.za

A POST-CIRCUMCISI­ON tool could provide a way for newly initiated young men to eliminate deaths from both traditiona­l and surgical circumcisi­on complicati­ons, according to two students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).

CPUT students Musa Morgan and Lwazi Ntshangase unveiled their Uyindoda MMC underwear at the university’s first Innovative Showcase, themed “CPUT thinking out of the box”, where new products and technologi­es were on display.

There were 35 other innovative products showcased, most of which were patent and trademark protected.

The displays included an unmanned aircraft that could help with combating rhino poaching.

Healing wounds with special underwear and helping prevent infection

Eugene Erfort, one of the designers, said aerial surveillan­ce is an efficient solution to the problem of rhino poaching.

He said the system is equipped with cameras, thermal sensors and sniffers to detect poachers.

Big advantages of the system are that it can cover large areas, be kept and carried on site and has a low noise level, which doesn’t disturb the animals or alert the poachers.

With regards to a Gel Fuel Burner, which was also on display, Erfort said it offers a safer method to cook instead of using paraffin, which would lead to a reduction in fires in informal settlement­s.

The MMC underwear is a supplement­ary device which could be used by initiates to enable quick and comfortabl­e healing after circumcisi­on.

The device is tied around the waist with an object in front that keeps the penis in an upright position, and this restricts blood supply to the wound until the foreskin dries and heals.

Morgan said the idea of creating the underwear was from personal experience.

“After circumcisi­on, I was kneeling down most of the time. It took longer for the wound to heal because there was no right equipment to help the wound heal quicker,” he said.

He said he consulted a number of doctors, but they were unable to assist him, except to say that he must keep his penis upright.

“You can run and go to the shops without discomfort (when wearing the underwear),” said Morgan.

Ntshangase added that the device should be rolled out to circumcisi­on schools around the country to help combat initiate deaths.

“An initiate would also be safe from infections,” said Ntshangase.

“There is a need to show how we as a country deal with circumcisi­on, and this would help with (reducing) the many reported deaths,” he said.

CPUT spokespers­on Lauren Kansley said the expo was an ideal opportunit­y to expose staff and students to the entreprene­urial initiative­s offered by the university.

 ?? Picture: BHEKI RADEBE ?? CLOSE SUPPORT: Musa Morgan and Lwazi Ntshangase have designed a device they say could be helpful in fighting deaths of initiates after circumcisi­on. Their product was one of 35 student innovation­s showcased at the CPUT Bellville campus.
Picture: BHEKI RADEBE CLOSE SUPPORT: Musa Morgan and Lwazi Ntshangase have designed a device they say could be helpful in fighting deaths of initiates after circumcisi­on. Their product was one of 35 student innovation­s showcased at the CPUT Bellville campus.

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