After months of behind-the scenes work, the campaign for male medical circumcision has gone mainstream in eThekwini with an official launch ceremony at the UMbumbulu FET College recently. The event, hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini Health Departments, was attended by crowds of young people, traditional leaders, councillors and heads of some hospitals.

Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said medically supervised circumcision had been shown to reduce the transmission of HIV, but warned, “Being circumcised does not mean that you must fool around. “It is important to use protection even if you are circumcised.” Dhlomo said the programme aimed to go beyond the procedure itself to teach young men respect, discipline and how to behave themselves, and would also be taken to churches.

Native woods and trees in urban areas, including gardens, provide haven for wildlife, reduce air pollution, surface run-off and flooding  Reversing the declining numbers of native trees and woods in cities would provide numerous benefits at ‘relatively little cost’, says a report from the Woodland Trust.  As well as access to green space, the report, ‘Greening the Concrete Jungle‘, says trees provide a wide range of free ecosystem services including reducing the risk of surface water flooding and improving air quality that could save millions in flood defence and healthcare costs.