Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply alarmed by the shocking statistics revealed in Parliament through a written reply by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to a DA question in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on the state of vasectomy services in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the Minister’s official response, fewer than 200 vasectomies were performed in KwaZulu-Natal’s public hospitals over a ten-year period, compared to an astonishing over 100,000 female sterilization procedures during the same time. In one of South Africa’s largest provinces, the data shows entire years in which no public hospital recorded a single vasectomy.
This is not only a shocking indictment of the Department’s neglect of men’s reproductive health but also a clear reflection of deep gender imbalance in family planning responsibilities. Despite vasectomy being free, safe, and completed within 20 minutes, most hospitals across the province are not providing the service consistently.
The reply further reveals that:
- Only a handful of public hospitals, including Victoria Mxenge, Dundee, and Montebello, recorded any meaningful activity over ten years.
- The highest number of vasectomies recorded in any single year was just 82.
- In contrast, female sterilization figures ranged between 8,600 and 11,400 per year, highlighting how the system continues to rely almost exclusively on women for permanent family planning.
- In the private sector, hundreds of vasectomies are performed yearly, but at an average cost exceeding R5,000.
- The Minister admitted there are no partnerships between the public and private sectors to expand access.
Equally concerning is that, in a separate reply to the DA, the Minister admitted there has been no dedicated provincial awareness campaign on vasectomy in the past decade, while also acknowledging that very few healthcare workers are trained to perform the procedure. The Department cited “cultural barriers” and “low demand” as reasons, yet failed to show any measurable effort to overcome these.
The DA believes this is a direct result of poor leadership and a lack of political will to treat men’s reproductive health as a public health priority. For ten years, the government has ignored male involvement in family planning, reinforcing outdated gender stereotypes that make contraception “a woman’s responsibility.”
The DA will now submit follow-up questions to both the Minister of Health and the provincial MEC to demand:
- A clear plan to expand vasectomy access in all major public hospitals;
- A dedicated male reproductive health awareness campaign; and
- Training of healthcare professionals to ensure consistent service delivery.
It is unacceptable that in 2025, fewer than 1% of men in South Africa have accessed a service that is safe, permanent, and freely available in the public sector. This lack of action undermines not only gender equality but also public health efforts to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
The DA will continue to lead the fight for an inclusive, equitable approach to reproductive health that empowers both men and women to take responsibility for family planning.
Regards
Mzamo Billy MP
DA KZN NCOP Member