Sibiya’s celebrates Umhlonyane on her 17th birthday

Hundreds of girls paraded the streets of eSangweni section in Tembisa in celebration of Umhlonyane ka Zanele Sibiya on October 5.

Zanele celebrated her sweet 17th birthday by hosting Umhlonyane, a traditional ceremony. The celebrations involved drum majorettes rallying on the streets as they showcased their talents. The groups included the Vintage Drum Majorettes and Izinkanyezi Drum Majorettes.

uMhlonyane is a traditional ceremony of the Zulu people for girls when they reach womanhood, depending on what age they reach it. This ritual is done to introduce a girl to the different stages of womanhood and to warn her to be careful and be watchful of her behaviour. It is also meant to teach girls how to behave when they reach puberty.

Seipati Sibiya, mother, said they celebrated the 17th birthday of their daughter by adding the traditional ceremony Umhlonyane.

“She has grown enough to be take her own decisions now as a young lady. In our culture it is said a woman is ready for marriage at age 24, but that would be her decision to make,” said Sibiya.

“The ceremony represents Ubuntu and it is important to keep your virginity till you are old enough because you not only make your family proud, but you make yourself worthy to be a proud young lady in your community.

“We had a successful day with plenty of food and people came out in numbers to support us; we are grateful for that,” said Sibiya.

Gladys Sangweni, the founder of Amatshitshi Empela, from Rabie Ridge, said their main aim is to help girls from a young age to understand their position in the society and remain pure until they see it fit to engage in intimacy.

“We aim to to reduce teenage pregnancy and reduce it by teaching them morals and respect. And keep them away from Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD’s) and sex orientated diseases at an early age,” said Sangweni.

“Anyone before the age of marriage must focus on their school work, because education is key to open many doors these days and key for women to be independent financially, even when married,” said Sangweni.

Nhlanhla Ramatapa, her sister, said its amazing to have this kind of event in the heart of the townships with different groups from KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, and Phomolong joining together for the big celebrations.

“I am happy and excited because these days as a community we are faced with different social challenges that leads to girls losing their purity. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours,” said Ramatapa.

Zanele Sibiya, who was the guest of honour, said she is hoping to remain a pure until she reaches the age of 27.

“I would like to thank my family for hosting such a ceremony for me and showing me love and support,” said Zanele.