Athletics South Africa (ASA) has violated gold medallist Caster Semenya's right to dignity and must appear before Parliament, The Democratic Alliance said on Friday.

There could be little doubt that the athlete's dignity had been "walked over", DA sport spokesperson Donald Lee said after unconfirmed reports in Australia that a leaked IAAF gender test result showed that Semenya was a hermaphrodite.

"It has been done in a manner that is both cold and callous, and all the available evidence suggests the cause is incompetence."

He said South Africans needed to put themselves in Semenya's shoes.

"Only then is it possible to relate to the cruel manner in which Caster Semenya's dignity has been walked over and her privacy denigrated."

He said the public should be embarrassed that the body elected to promote athletics in South Africa had allowed the matter to spiral out of control at the expense of a person's constitutional rights.

Semenya, on the other hand, had nothing to be embarrassed about, said Lee.

"She should stand tall, as a person dedicated to excellence in her field and a proud ambassador for our country. The manner in which she has dealt with this matter is exemplary."

Lee said he would write to the chairperson of the portfolio committee on sport and recreation to request that the ASA appear before it to fully explain its role in the matter and account for its failure to protect Semenya's rights.

Stofile takes legal advice

Sport and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile told the media on Friday that the government would consult with its lawyers over the human rights issue.

"Neither Caster nor her family deserves this humiliation. None of them has done anything wrong and we appeal that they be left alone."

President Jacob Zuma came out in support of Semenya on Friday, saying the media had deeply invaded her privacy.

At a press conference in Cape Town, he said the confidentiality between doctor and patient had to be respected.

"I think we are faced with an unfortunate situation in this country where we claim to respect privacy and the rights of people, but then we do something that moves against those principles and values."

ANCYL wades in

The ANC Youth League also threw its weight behind Semenya, calling the reports about her gender a "malicious rumour".

Spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said the IAAF should distance itself from the media and act in line with basic medical ethics.

"Even if a test is done, the ANCYL will never accept the categorisation of Caster Semenya as a hermaphrodite, because in South Africa and the entire world of sanity, such does not exist."

The Limpopo Progressive Women's Movement — Semenya is from Limpopo — also expressed hurt, anger and deep offence that the test results had been leaked.

"We want to urge all roleplayers in this sad saga to be more sensitive in how they handle it going forward. Stop the leaks, stop the double standards and stop hurting Caster and her family."

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