Online Reporter
Mkhululi Ncube, Zimpapers Reporter
IMAGINE being born with both male and female sex organs — a condition known as intersex — something entirely beyond your control or choice. As you grow older, society often confuses your condition with homosexuality, subjecting you to stigma and discrimination rooted in a lack of understanding.
This is the delicate reality that intersex individuals face daily, and the Government has taken steps to address the issue directly.
Through national consultations on potential legal gaps concerning the rights of intersex persons in Zimbabwe, authorities aim to close those gaps and ensure protection for affected individuals.
Intersex persons are citizens born with both male and female sexual organs, making biological sex identification a challenge. In some cases, children born with the condition undergo surgery without their consent, only to grow up with a sex organ that may not align with their physical appearance.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs held a stakeholder consultative workshop in Bulawayo, where affected citizens shared their experiences of stigma, difficulties accessing identity documents, and challenges in securing employment.
Mr Anele Moyo from Njube suburb, whose three-year-old child was born intersex, said the experience was difficult to accept, especially as it was his first-born.
“My wife gave birth while I was at work, and my mother phoned to tell me about the birth. She struggled to tell me the sex of the child and said I should come to the hospital. When I arrived, my wife also couldn’t tell me the sex of the child, saying she didn’t know. That was very hard for us — and worse, it was our first-born,” he said.
Mr Moyo said doctors eventually informed them that their child was intersex and that they would need to choose which sex the child should be assigned. This would involve surgery to remove one of the organs after an assessment.
However, after receiving advice, they declined the operation, opting instead to wait until the child is old enough to make the decision independently.
“We had made a decision on the sex the child could assume, but we learnt that this could affect the child later, as the chosen sex might not match their physical development. We then decided to wait until our child is grown before considering any operation.”
Another intersex individual from Binga, who requested anonymity, shared that she was born in 1998 while her mother was attending a funeral in Zambia. Her troubles began immediately after birth. She said that, according to tradition, intersex children were to be killed at birth, and her mother had to flee back to Binga to protect her.
“Growing up, I faced a lot of stigma and name-calling. I was later taken to Kalomo in Zambia for an operation, which was done for free by an Indian doctor. I may appear male now due to the transition, but that was against my will,” she said.
She added that her condition prevented her from gaining admission to Hillside Teacher’s College in Bulawayo, and she only managed to enrol at Lupane State University after a long struggle. Despite completing her studies, she is still unable to secure employment.
“If I wasn’t strong, I would have died long ago due to the stigma and pressure we face. We can’t get employed because our identity documents may say we are female, yet our appearance is male due to surgeries. Intersex people are not gay or lesbian.
Most of us were operated on to leave us with one sexual organ,” she said.
An official from the Registrar General’s Office, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they rely on documents from the Ministry of Health and Child Care when issuing birth certificates, which specify the sex of the child.
The official explained that children are registered using birth records and are not required to be physically present at the office until they turn 16 and apply for a national identity document.
“There’s no way for us to know if there’s a problem with a child because we register them using birth records. We have provided services to intersex people, but their population is very small. The department also handles corrections and alterations of documents. There may be a lack of information from intersex individuals about the challenges they face,” said the official.
The official added that the Registrar General’s Office is ready to assist those who need their documents altered.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Principal Law Officer, Ms Lyna Rudo Saizi, said the workshops will lead to the development of a legal framework to promote and protect the rights of intersex people in Zimbabwe.
She said the ministry had recognised the challenges faced by the intersex community and was taking steps to address them.
“We noticed that the intersex community faces a number of challenges. They are subjected to non-consensual medical surgeries, struggle to obtain identity documents, and face employment difficulties due to the mismatch between their assigned gender and physical appearance,” said Ms Saizi.
She emphasised the importance of public understanding, noting that intersex individuals are not gay or lesbian, and their condition is not a matter of choice.
Zimbabwe is following the example of Kenya, which has developed legislation to protect intersex people.
The workshop was held in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and attended by various Government ministries and departments, including the Public Service Commission, Police, Social Welfare, and the
National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe.
