The Week's Newspaper
| Circumcision leaves boy badly scarred |
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| Thursday, 08 July 2010 09:25 | |||
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AN Oshakati family is embroiled in a nasty feud after an illegal circumcision on a 17year old boy went horribly wrong last month when the boy continuously bled until he sought medical help.
Johannes Kamati is claiming the illegal circumcision on his brother was conducted by the boy's distant relative who claimed it was his ancestral right to do so. Kamati alleged that Kandjimi Mungunda, the boy's uncle, performed the act without notifying the family which only discovered it when the boy complained to his mother. “The family is fighting because we were not informed of the uncle’s intention to circumcise the boy. He bled and it almost cost him his life. All this in the name of culture,” said Kamati. He further said the boy is doing well but is scarred and that the family is contemplating taking legal action against Mungunda The boy said his uncle told him that it is his birth-right to get circumcised because it was in the interest of his health too. He also said the uncle advised him not to tell his mother as they would all be against the idea. “I did it because I trusted him but did not think it would end up like this. He has been doing it for ages so that made me trust him even more,” said the boy. Mungunda denied responsibility for the botched up circumcision saying that he is a professional on the job. He, however, blamed the boy for poor after operation care. Mungunda added that in their Herero culture a boy is supposed to be circumcised when he is still young. “I do not know why the family is fighting me. I have circumcised some family members before but none reacted the way this one did so blame it on the way he cared and dressed the wound,” said Mungunda.
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