Foreskins used in anti-ageing product

FORGET the stories you have heard about female rapists, pouncing on "unsuspecting" men, raping them in order to gather supplies for sperm banks and for other purposes, such as sorcery.

Foreskins are turning out to be a profitable "business venture" in neighbouring South Africa, as the pieces of skin, which are cut off during circumcision, are reportedly being sold to local and foreign clinics, who in turn use them as ingredients for facial surgeries and skincare products, used as anti-ageing creams.

The foreskins, which are harvested from illicit circumcision clinics and unorthodox persons such as traditional healers, are now a much-sought-after commodity because of their elasticity component, which is said to be good for quashing facial wrinkles.

And with the illegal trade seemingly growing beyond the Limpopo River, there are fears that the trend may spill into the country, with a legislator recently calling for a ban on circumcision and also questioning the whereabouts of the sheared off skins.

Not so long ago, MDC-T Matabeleland South Senator, Sithembile Mlotshwa, who has actively been campaigning against circumcision, claimed that foreskins of circumcised men were being used for witchcraft.

"There is a case of witchcraft in Zimbabwe. We so much want to use the parts of a body of a person to pursue finance, marriage or work. What happens to these foreskins of 100 boys that are put in a basket by this doctor? Is it not better to give each person his foreskin to dispose of the way they see fit? This is because putting them together in a basket will invite witchcraft? Even for grown-up people who are mature, why do you leave your foreskins to be mixed with whoever's foreskin in the basket there, when a doctor can be bought to put all those foreskins together and go and sell them? Who is there to see that these foreskins are disposed of properly?" she questioned.

Mlotshwa also claimed some could be using the foreskins to procure charms to enhance their chances of getting married.

"We so much want to get married nowadays and we want to use the young boys' foreskins to mix with whatever we mix with to get more money," she said.

While the trend is slowly growing popular, there are reports, according to a clinic in South Africa, which admitted to be actively involved in the business, as they were supplying an American market, that there were illegal circumcision clinics supplying them with the skins.

"Well, this has been happening stealthily for some time now but it is definitely going to turn into a booming business venture soon, since reports of American media and celebrity talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, endorsed a product, which possessed foreskins as active ingredients," said a nurse at the clinic who declined to be named.

The nurse admitted that dealing in foreskins was good business but was also risky, as it was not legal in South Africa.

She said: "Obviously because people are becoming aware of the monetary benefits involved, we could soon be recording crimes of people having their foreskins being cut off. Even worse I fear that babies could be the main victims to this. There is a lot of money as foreskins possesses an elastic element, which is good for skin graft and reanimation," she said.

The nurse also said their biggest buyers were from South Africa's white community.

"Our biggest customers are from the white community and a few black people. They obviously have a market in America, which pays large amounts of money," she said.

She said they would gather at least about a kilogramme or two of the skins, which would fetch them between 50 000 and 80 000 South African rand within a period of a month or two.

"It's a lot of money considering how hard it is to get these skins. Not many people are aware but many clinics actually do business with these American cosmetic companies," she added.

According to an online report about the phenomenon, the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project in Canada recently held a campaign against Oprah for endorsing the product, which uses people's foreskins without their knowledge.

"We promote foreskin education, appreciation and stimulation and advocate for the human rights of all children - male, female and intersex - to grow up with intact genitals," read a statement on their website.

The cosmetic industry Voice of South Africa, Toiletry and Fragrance Association of South Africa, said in a statement that it was illegal to trade in foreskins or have products that possess human ingredients in accordance with the cosmetic regulations in South Africa.