Harmful traditional practices, (male circumcision - Electronic Thesis ...

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Outside of the debate in parliament itself, the following comments were made by
traditional leaders and virginity testers:
In response to a proposed ban on virginity testing in the Children’s Bill, Patekile
Holomisa, president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders had the following to
say;
“ … There are laws that are passed that do not necessarily have an impact on the lives
of people. I imagine this will be one of those.” 212
According to Nomagugu Ngobese, a Zulu virginity tester in Pietermaritzburg the
following submission was made in response to the proposed ban by the
government:
“This is none of the government’s business … People are devaluing our things, but we
are not going to quit. They must come and imprison me if they like, because this
has helped our children.” 213
Furthermore, in its Review on the Child Care Act of 1983, the South African Law
Reform Commission, although not opposed to male circumcision, had
recommended that a male child’s right to refuse circumcision should be
recognised as well as a child’s right to refuse virginity testing for cultural
reasons. 214 In addition, the right of a male child not to be subjected to
unhygienic circumcisions as well as the right not to be subjected to unhygienic
virginity testing should be stressed in the new children’s statute. 215
212
Lafraniere S, “Women’s Rights Movement in Africa Emerges”. Available online at
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/01/2003286981 at 2. Accessed on 8 April
2006.
213
Ibid, p 3-4.
214
“South African Law Commission Report on the Review of the Child Care Act”, Project 110,
December 2002 at p 282.
215
Ibid at p 282.