THE health ministry on Wednesday confirmed reports that a non-governmental organisation, collaborating with the health department in combating Aids, mistakenly damaged condoms by stapling them to a leaflet together with information on their use. These condoms were later distributed in Soweto and at the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. No evidence of similar practices was found in KwaZulu-Natal or elsewhere, the ministry said in a statement. Although the exact number of damaged condoms is uncertain, the public and distributors had been advised not to use or distribute them.