Health Department Acts to Curb Circumcision Deaths

EAST CAPE NEWS, Grahamstown, South Africa,
24 July 2001.

Health Department to Employ Iingcibi in Bid to Curb Deaths

East Cape News (Grahamstown)
July 24, 2001

Posted to the web July 25, 2001
Dumile Meintjies
Grahamstown

In a move to curb Xhosa initiate deaths and mutilations the Health Department would employ experienced iincgibi (traditional surgeons) to perform circumcisions said Eastern Cape Health Department spokesperson Mahlubandile Magida yesterday.

Magida said in a bid to get of "chance-takers" who were motivated by greed, the Health Department was in the process of formulating payment for certified iingcibi. "Soon after the passing of the Circumcision Bill in September we want communities to have already identified and chosen skilled iingcibi they trust." The circumcision bill seeks to regulate and introduce accountability to the custom. "By December the chosen iingcibi will be in our books." He said regional committees would be set up to oversee the process.

A committee was already operating in Libode identifying "real iingcibi". The Department would not train or retrain iingcibi as it would be too expensive. Magida said the chosen iingcibi would be paid during the June and December initiation periods. "They can't be paid on a monthly basis because initiation does not happen monthly." He said everybody, including traditional leaders, councillors, and the community, should help curb the "terrible tragedy" of initiate deaths and mutilations.


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