In South Africa, where the HIV incidence rate is well over 10% of the population, condoms are such a weighty matter that the courts will step in if they think you’re bringing in substandard condoms.
The High Court in Pretoria has apparently just blocked a South African company from importing 11 million condoms from a Chinese company called Phoenurse. If you’ve never heard of this company, well, neither have we. But before you go making those jokes about African vs Chinese penis size, those do not apply because we’re talking about FEMALE condoms here. Make of that whatever you will.
The case was brought to court by the South African company which lost the bid to the Chinese manufacturer, arguing that its wonderful locally made female condoms, while more expensive, were 20% larger than their Chinese counterparts.
The court subsequently found that the condoms were made from the wrong material and had not received WHO approval, then ruled that the South African company be given the tender instead since this was an “urgent” matter of life and death.