Coerced Sterilisation Haunts South African Women: Victims Demand Justice
DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal — For over a decade, one woman has carried a painful secret, hidden from her partner: she can never have children. This devastating reality stems from a coerced sterilisation performed at a government hospital because she was HIV-positive, leaving her feeling “like half a woman”.
In 2011, the woman, now in her 40s, visited a government hospital in Boksburg. “I went as an HIV-positive patient when a doctor told me I had stage one cervical cancer,” she recounted. “While I was still shocked, he said since I had two dangerous diseases, I must get rid of one. He insisted removing my uterus would be wise, because then I would only deal with HIV.”
Unquestioningly, she agreed to the treatment plan, only to later discover the hysterectomy was far from a last-resort option. “Another doctor said the procedure should have been the last option because the cancer was in its early stage,” she explained. “After surgery, I received no support from the department. The second doctor even said the operation was not done properly.”
The emotional and physical scars run deep. With a broken voice, she shared, “My life has been ruined. I can’t hold my urine for long and I fail to enjoy sex like before. I’ve hidden this from my partner for over 10 years.” Her greatest desire is to see the government held accountable for the injustice she has suffered.
Her story is not unique. Another woman, also sterilised without informed consent, echoed similar sentiments: “Now I feel half a woman. Life became difficult because it is hard to tell a man you are barren, especially if he wants children. The issue has affected me mentally.”
A third woman’s ordeal began at the age of 17. In 1997, after giving birth to her second child in Krugersdorp, she was instructed to return for routine check-ups. “When I arrived, they said I was going to theatre. I was healthy, and so was my baby. I heard doctors discussing me in medical terms I didn’t understand,” she recalled. “One asked if I was the HIV-positive patient and it was confirmed. Later, I woke up with a wound under my belly button. When I asked, they said it was just assessments.”
Years later, her dreams of expanding her family were shattered when a doctor confirmed she had been sterilised. In 2018, she sought a reversal, only to be told it was impossible and that the initial surgery had been performed improperly. “Now my husband complains I cannot fall pregnant,” she lamented.
These are just a few of the growing number of women coming forward with harrowing accounts of coerced sterilisation. Next week, the Her Right Initiative (HRI), an organisation representing the victims, will convene a meeting in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, bringing together approximately 50 affected women to strategise on holding the government accountable.
Dr Sethembiso Mthembu, founder of HRI, revealed that lawyers have already issued letters of demand to the national department of health. A 2020 investigation by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) uncovered that the department had violated 26 laws, including those safeguarding women’s rights to dignity, bodily integrity, and security. The CGE concluded that HIV-positive women were subjected to forced and coerced sterilisations.
Adding further weight to these claims, a University of South Africa study published in January this year found that women sterilised between 2007 and 2023 received no support from the government. The study, titled Bodies at the Altar of Forced & Coerced Sterilisation, highlighted that over 100 women were negatively affected, with no discussion of the way forward before or after the procedures. The majority of victims were from Mpumalanga, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and North West provinces.
Mthembu addressed parliament’s portfolio committee on health, stating that the government has been slow to act. Negotiations have been protracted, with updates ceasing in March. “The victims have not received financial compensation, nor any form of redress for pain and suffering. This violates their right to access justice and an effective remedy,” she asserted. Her organisation’s investigations revealed that many women were falsely informed that sterilisation would prolong their lives, as pregnancy was deemed dangerous for HIV-positive women, while others were told it would shield them from further illnesses.
Portfolio committee chair Faith Muthambi has pledged that all involved institutions will be summoned to account in parliament.
However, the national department of health has denied any policy of illegal sterilisation. Spokesperson Foster Mohale stated, “It has never been the policy of the department that women living with HIV should be sterilised.” Despite this denial, Mohale acknowledged the CGE’s finding that many complainants could not reasonably be said to have consented, given the structure of consent forms and alleged unethical processes used to obtain signatures.
The fight for justice continues as more women find the courage to share their stories, seeking redress for the irreversible harm inflicted upon them.
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