ANC MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has urged South Africans to come out in support of Caster Semenya, the 800-meter world champion who is now reported to be a hermaphrodite, according to an Australian newspaper.

"I am listening to the news. I'm just extremely hurt by what I am hearing. The poor innocent child is a victim of all this, and it is not of her making," Madikizela-Mandela told The Star newspaper in a report on Friday.

"I think it is the responsibility of South Africa to rally behind this child and tell the rest of the world that she remains the hero she is, and no one will take that away from her.

"I do not understand how any sane person can blame this child for a biological problem which is not of her making."

The Sydney Morning Herald said in its Friday edition that medical reports on the 18-year-old Semenya indicate she has internal male testes, which are producing large amounts of testosterone.

This means that she is a hermaphrodite, the report said, according to Associated Press.

"Mothers throughout the county, every mother and grandmother, should stand up and support the mother of this child and this child. She needs our moral support. We should tell her how proud we are of her. It doesn't matter what she looks like."

Madikizela-Mandela also criticised the local You/Huisgenoot magazine for making a "caricature" out of Semenya by dressing her up in its latest edition.

"It was the most cruel prank any human being could inflict on another," said Madikizela-Mandela.

Semenya was sent for gender tests after she won gold in the women's 800 metre race in Berlin, Germany, last month.

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