OPINION | It seems trivial but Khabonina is on the money with her lawsuit

I'll admit it ... at first glance when I saw a headline screaming “Actor sues hospital for R40m due to missing placenta”, I laughed out loud. “R40-million? Hai wa fosta shem!” I said.

But I couldn't stop thinking about it and, the more I thought about it, the more it didn't seem as outrageous as it first sounded.

I'm telling you the above so that you also see that my first reaction was automatic, almost programmed. I want to put it to you that my first reaction was straight out of fear and even though I didn't realise it then, what my first reaction said was: “There's no way my human (read black, woman) tissue could ever have so much value.” But I was wrong.

I've thought and read up a little bit since then and my final stance is that the issue is not trivial and in fact, Khabonina's lawsuit is a necessary one in 2020.

I'll explain why but before that, let me tell you what happened in case you missed it.

Sometime last week, Sowetan reported that Khabonina is demanding millions of rand from a Johannesburg private hospital after her placenta was disposed of despite her request that it be kept for her.

The actress signed a legally binding document with the hospital when she birthed her daughter (Lwandle) with husband Vuyisile “Master Vusi” Colossa. When she went back to collect her placenta it was nowhere to be found and she was instead bombarded with a lot of red tape.

Most women don't care much for the placenta. As long as they go home with a healthy baby, they are set. That's their choice and that's OK.

However, Khabonina isn't part of that WhatsApp group and I for one admire that.

Personally, I am aware that the placenta has a huge significance in most African cultures for rituals that ensure the baby's wellbeing. I also know that some people eat this particular human tissue and it has benefits for the mother post-partum.

But it wasn't until I did a little bit of research that I found out the commercial value of that thing, which comes from having some health benefits for body and skin.

That last discovery showed me that Khabonina isn't here to play.

The actress, who also became a yoga instructor and a foodie in the past couple of years, did her research and knew that she was well within her rights to ask that her placenta be kept.

So ... I'm not here to tell you how strong or weak her case against the hospital is. Nor am I here to question the monetary value she's attached to her human tissue.

I'm here to say I'm glad she was brave enough to pursue it. I think she's right to go after the hospital, but, most importantly, she has to be applauded for her lack of fear.

Most of us would have lost the battle in the mind already. I already saw people saying to Khabonina: “Just forgive them and let it go, concentrate on your healthy baby”, and others even went as far as accusing her of being broke and using her placenta as a moneymaking tool.

I am particularly impressed that she didn't impose the “inferiority complex”, “self-hate” and “abantu bazothini” mentality we've become accustomed to resorting to when faced with fighting big (read rich and often white capitalist) institutions.

So call them to order, moghel. I hope you get your justice.

Yours is the kind of leadership I have no choice but to stan!