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GIVING HOPE: Caregivers light candles at the World Aids Day celebration in Kagiso on the West Rand in remembrance of all the people who have died from Aids. PHOTO: BUSISIWE MBATHA

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Forty-four members of Zimbabwe's parliament were circumcised on Friday as part of a national HIV/Aids awareness campaign.

In a rare show of political unity, the MPs from President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's rival MDC camp chatted calmly with reporters as they queued at a clinic set up inside the parliament complex.

"When I went in there I was a bit scared, but after they had explained the process I felt at ease," 53-year-old Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) MP Blessing Chebundo told Reuters within minutes of the operation.

"Now I don't feel any pain. I can even go and play a match of football."

Research cited by the World Health Organization has shown that male circumcision - removing all or part of the foreskin - can reduce a man's risk of getting HIV by up to 60 percent.

The procedure has become a central pillar of the southern African nation's fight against AIDS, and one MP even allowed photographers to take pictures of him lying on a bed with his recently bandaged penis on display.

Zimbabwe had one of the world's highest HIV infection rates in the late 1990s, but that more than halved to an estimated 13.7 percent of the adult population in 2009.

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Sun May 19 04:24:09 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 25, 2012

MarryMe

LOL. Circumcision at 50. They must think after this they will perform like they are 25. Kwaaaaaaaa
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Jun 25, 2012

somaartakeit

I am still not convinced that circumcision reduced chances of being infected with hiv cause in SA most tribes circumcise, so how come we have most hiv cases than in countries that don't have this practice? common sense suggests to me that, you can stay uncircumcised as long as you practice safe sex.
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Jun 25, 2012

www.insurance-direct.co.za

This illness will never go anywhere
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Jun 25, 2012

Lehido

@somaartakeit - Amen to that
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Jun 25, 2012

Hoshpelepelewa26Zikuphi

Yerrrr Mogabe ke five
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Jun 25, 2012

Shredder

@somaartakeit
I am still not convinced that circumcision reduced chances of being infected with hiv cause in SA most tribes circumcise,
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It is true, reduce not eliminate. Actually women have chances of being infected than men. So whoever (SA tribes) you are talking about, either they are not circumcised or if they are circumcised they are just reckless. Reduce infection rate, not immune to infection.
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Jun 25, 2012

Papage

Mashoboro banna ba, ke bona ba tlisitseng AIDS, all men must be circumsised, why leave that skin hanging on your penis, come on guys.
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Jun 25, 2012

Shredder

@Papage
Mashoboro banna ba, ke bona ba tlisitseng AIDS, all men must be circumsised, why leave that skin hanging on your penis, come on guys.
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Because we are born with it. Apostle Paul says circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.
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Jun 25, 2012

Papage

@ Shredder, kgale ke go bona gore ole shoboro, remove that thing you will satisfy your woman and enjoy sex Broer
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Jun 26, 2012

Hugh7

Lots of good reasons not to believe the claims that circumcision even reduces the risk of HIV - in 10 out of 18 countries USAID has figures for, more of the CIRCUMCISED men have HIV than the non-circumcised. And Papage, "less penis -> better sex" doesn't make sense.
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