Evidence wa ka Ngobeni The National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality has called for a commission of inquiry to probe allegations of illegal sex- change operations, medical torture and chemical castration performed by the South African Defence Force (SADF) on gay men and lesbians before 1994. The coalition, whose call for an inquiry is supported by, among others, Amnesty International and the South African Council of Churches, has asked Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota to launch the inquiry as none of the alleged perpetrators has approached the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty.
The coalition says it is clear from a recent Mail & Guardian investigation, and from a report commissioned in part by the Medical Research Council, that there is prima facie evidence of a “sexual realignment programme” having been performed by the SADF during the Seventies and Eighties. Two weeks ago the M&G uncovered details of how SADF psychiatrists assisted by chaplains scoured each intake of national servicemen, hunting suspected homosexuals during the apartheid era. Those identified as homosexuals were quietly separated from their comrades and sent to ward 22 of Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital for screening and “rehabilitation”. Some of those who could not be “cured” with drugs or psychiatry were given sex-change operations or chemically castrated. At the time the experiments were conducted, the chief psychiatrist at Voortrekkerhoogte was Aubrey Levin, who has since emigrated to Canada.
Levin has warned the M&G he intends suing it in Canada, and has recruited one of that country’s leading media lawyers to prepare his case. M&G editor Phillip van Niekerk has dismissed the notice, saying Levin “thinks by suing us in Canada he stands a better chance at least of intimidating the Canadian press into not following our story”. Van Niekerk has challenged Levin to return to South Africa “and face his accusers. We will publish a front-page apology if he can show that dozens of people who regard themselves as victims of his treatment are lying. It would be very easy for him to disprove the claims, rather than resorting to the bullying and intimidation tactics he is currently pursuing, which will not silence the M&G.” Although there are substantial numbers of victims of the sex-change policy, no exact figure has been recorded since the programme was stopped, says National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality director Carrie Shelver.
“That is one reason we are calling for this investigation to establish the factual basis of these allegations, including the period and number of people involved, both as victims and as perpetrators,” she said.