Traditional leaders slam medical circumcision plan

TRADITIONAL leaders are united against a state idea to curb initiation tragedies through medical male circumcision (MMC).

The Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders (ECHT) has slammed government suggestions of doctors replacing traditional surgeons in the rite.

The house’s full sitting in Bhisho on Wednesday denounced the plan introduced by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Deputy Minister Obed Bapela at a manhood summit in Mthatha a week ago.

Government was considering banning traditional surgeons from performing circumcisions, he said, adding only qualified medical doctors should be allowed to perform the surgery.

This infuriated not only traditional leaders, but many men who had undergone the rite.

ECHTL members said the state was a “forked-tongued snake” and even more “brutal and poisonous than the colonial and apartheid governments”.

“The House is extremely disturbed and concerned about the promotion of MMC in traditional communities and the support which seems to be provided by Cogta national in relation to the pending National Framework on Initiation, which seems to phase out traditional initiation in favour of MMC,” said ECHTL chairman Ngangomhlaba Matanzima.

Eastern Cape kings and princes, as well as the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, were also infuriated by the controversial plan.

They said initiate deaths were not caused by traditional surgeons ( iingcibi) but by the carelessness of traditional nurses ( amakhankatha) and the fact that the government wanted to do away with surgeons showed a “shallow understanding” of the rite.

“The rite is a contributory factor to social cohesion and nation-building,” said Matanzima. “It is imperative to note that the problem facing the country is moral degeneration.” The House resolved that: ● Traditional leaders should the custom;

● Traditional leaders should set a clearly defined agenda and role for government in the circumcision and initiation processes;

● The department of health should

promote not issue permission to youths to undergo the rite before they had finished writing their school examinations;

● The ECHTL should begin campaigns during which the differences between traditional male circumcision and MMC would be explained; and

● Campaigns should be conducted in educating the youth about the dangers and disadvantages of MMC.

Matanzima said NGOs should also explain whether they supported MMC or not. As monitoring was a function of the ECHTL, Cogta should assist in initiation programmes. —