Traditional vs modern

Medically done circumcision has 'measurable benefit to young people's health'.

- Zanele Mbengo

As the school holidays coincide with the start of the winter initiation season, traditional health practitioner and founder of Mothong African Heritage Trust Foundation Dr Ephraim Mabena urges the law to take action against bogus traditional surgeons.

"The traditional industry itself needs to safeguard the traditional ways of doing things because bogus traditional healers are the biggest problem," he said.

Mabena believed the traditional way of doing things, such as circumcision, were governed by the philosophy of Ubuntu.

"Our practice is governed by the code of conduct. Going to a traditional school, you'll be told the do's and don'ts which are very important," he said.

This came after the Gauteng department of health urged the public to take advantage of the free voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC) services available at 46 public health sites across the province.