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Zim female athlete is a man
09/02/2005 10:49 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwean sporting authorities were this week shocked to discover that one of the country's top female athletes is actually a man.
The discovery came when multiple medal winner Samukeliso Sithole was outed as a man while waiting with friends for a train at the Zimbabwean railway station, the Herald reported.
Friend and fellow female athletics competitor Melita Mudondiro has filed charges of crimen injuria and impersonation against Sithole, saying she had frequently dressed and undressed in front of him, believing he was a woman.
Sithole was subsequently arrested by police in the Midlands chrome-producing city of Kwekwe, where a government doctor confirmed he was male.
However, the athlete claims he was born with both male and female genitals. He told a Kwekwe court that his parents had consulted a traditional healer in the eastern district of Chipinge and the healer had provided herbs which made him female.
But because his parents had only paid half the fee due to the healer, his male genitalia had reappeared. In fact, he said, on the day that he appeared in court he had been due to pay the settlement amount and if he had been able to do this, his male genitalia would have gone away again.
Court officials said they were not sure whether to remand the athlete in male or female cells.
Sithole has won several regional gold and silver medals for triple jump, shot put and javelin.
His secret was out while waiting at a railway station with friends who were travelling to an athletics meeting, another man approached the group and said that Sithole was actually a man.
The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe said it was still investigating the case.
He was remanded to March 3 for trial.
- SAPA
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