By Kwanele Khanye
Durban residents recently participated in a health march against illegal abortion practitioners in the city.
Marie Stopes South Africa, together with the eThekwini Civil Society Forum, led a road to healthcare march on 12 September from Gugu Dlamini Park to the Durban City Hall, where they submitted a memorandum to the eThekwini Municipality.
The marchers called for the municipality to address issues such as illegal abortion, gender-based violence, gender inequality and teenage pregnancy.
The Marie Stopes’s business development manager, Cheslin Twigg, said that they are dedicated to addressing issues affecting women’s health. “We are a women’s facility, where we address all sexual and reproductive health issues. Our services include contraceptives, STI (sexually transmitted infections) screening and other important health screenings.”
A primary concern raised during the demonstration was the rise of illegal abortion providers who prey on vulnerable women.
Twigg said that these illegal practitioners, who frequently post unauthorised posters throughout the city, often provide substandard care, putting women’s health at a serious risk. “There are posters all over the city and many of these providers are not dispensing the right medication or they give too much, leading to women bleeding to death. We have approximately 20 000 women dying each year from these illegal (service) providers.”
Marie Stopes spokesperson Ayabonga Nyawuza urged for increased vigilance against illegal abortion service providers, who often post posters and operate online, making it difficult for women to distinguish between legal and illegal practitioners.
“The way they market themselves is very professional. I have even seen websites from (their) facilities. I could not distinguish them from illegal ones.”
She called on the municipality to work with internet platforms and social media companies to remove illegal abortion providers from search results, as the youth often believe everything they see on social media.
Nokulunga Malinga, a marcher, urged the municipality to inspect facilities actively and ensure the closure of dodgy clinics.
She said: “The law enforcement, SAPS and Metro Police need to take part in inspecting these dodgy places.”
The eThekwini Civil Society Forum chairperson, Nkosikhona Mpungose, said the government needs to be accountable for the health and well-being of its citizens. “The memorandum is not just about today. It began two months ago when we discussed the lack of contraceptives in public facilities and the hostile attitudes from staff. The government complains about teenage pregnancies, but there are no real measures in place to curb it.”
He further highlighted the dangers of illegal abortion service providers who often commit sexual abuse under the guise of giving medical care. “These (illegal) practitioners sometimes insert termination pills through penetration, which is rape. Also, their medication is not certified and they end up damaging the reproductive systems of women without them even realising it.”
The mayor’s advisor, Mlungisi Ntombela, acknowledged the concerns raised in the memorandum and said that the municipality will address them.
He said: “We have signed the memorandum and we agree that these issues must be tackled. As the municipality, we have a youth office that caters to women’s and children’s issues. We will take this memorandum and submit it to the relevant departments for review.”
