Circumcision complaints flood in

The Eastern Cape health department says it is being "inundated" with calls about illegal circumcisions.

Spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said that among the calls received from community members was a complaint about the circumcision of five boys at Mthombe in the Libode district.

This was the village where two boys died last year following illegal circumcisions.

In the Mqanduli area south of Mthatha, community members had phoned to report that four boys were circumcised there on Monday.

It had since been learned that the total was in fact seven.

Police were searching for the surgeon who performed the operation, who was on the run.

"This is a recipe for disaster," Kupelo said. "This will bring up the number of deaths.

"We appeal to the community to assist us to put an end to illegal circumcision."

The Eastern Cape suffers dozens of circumcision-related deaths every year, largely from dehydration or infected wounds. - (Sapa, December 2009)