NMMU clinic gears up for circumcision season

WITH the season for Xhosa boys to undergo the rite to become men around the corner, thousands of parents in the Eastern Cape are preparing to send their children to the bush.

And at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, staff are preparing for their fifth round of medical male circumcisions (MMC) as more students choose the sometimes controversial method.

Twice a year on Saturdays, the South Campus clinic is turned into a mini-hospital where interested students and staff can undergo the procedure in relative privacy and recover without interruption to any other services offered at the health centre.

The university has already started campaigning for the next MMC drive next month, and, according to nurses at the Health Services Centre, there will be a good turnout as students have started showing interest. - Thulani Gqirana