South Africa: Another Manto Blunder… · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

The controversial South African Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who you might remember a couple of posts back as being under fire for her antics…is back in the spotlight, this time bloggers are venting anger at an address she gave to the presidential task team on traditional medicine.
From The Big Breakfast blog who comments on the “Minister of Ill-health”…:
…came up with another blinder, saying (quote) “We cannot use western models of protocols for research and development. We should guard against being bogged down with clinical trials.” She then went on to say that the lack of measuring and documentation within traditional medicine encouraged legal challenges and dubious practise.
That, madam Health Minister, is why we have clinical trials in real science.
Is there a place for traditional medicine to exist side-by-side with ‘Western medicine’, or are they at odds with each other?
Even more scathing was Synaptoman:
At the launch of the Healthy Lifestyle Programme in Port Shepston (what in God’s name was she even DOING there), she announced that alcoholic beverages will soon carry messages highlighting the negative effects of alcohol. Are we supposed to take this woman seriously? Her alleged alcohol consumption is legendary, her fast-tracked liver transplant is common knowledge, and now this idiot is lecturing the rest of us about OUR alcohol consumption?
She went on to say says that she hopes to emulate the success her department has had with the tobacco industry, where a 40% drop has been achieved due to warnings on cigarette packets. This is not necessary. We could probably achieve at least a 40% drop in alcohol consumption in this country if we could just get HER to join the AA.
and adds in this comic depiction of the minister…
The overarching question which this incident again lends ammunition to is…  How can the President have Ministers of such caliber on his staff, and defend their positions amid all their antics?