King Goodwill Zwelithini’s daughters defend virgin bursaries
Zulu princesses defend the right of Zulus to uphold the practice of "ukuhlolwa", saying it does not violate the constitution
Two major institutions – the Commission for Gender Equality and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities – are battling it out on the issue pertaining to the ‘maiden bursaries’ that uThukela District Municipality awarded to 16 girls for being virgins and maintaining their status.
The district municipality introduced this category of bursaries during its Mayoral Matric Excellence Awards on January 11 this year, sparking a national outcry.
Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xavula lashed out at the Gender Commission for indirectly attacking ‘virginity testing’, stating that her commission was against people describing virginity testing as a harmful traditional practice.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Commission for Gender Equality argued that awarding these bursaries violated regional and international commitments to promote gender equality and eradicate harmful traditional practices.
Mkhwanazi-Xavula stated that they wrote to the Gender Commission, asking for a meeting to mediate. The commission said it would only respond when it had issued a final report.
The final report, however, lashed out at the awarding of the bursaries and indirectly the process of virginity testing known as “ukuhlolwa”.
In a statement issued by daughters of Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini, several Zulu princesses berated the findings of the Commission for Gender Equality, who stated that the awarding of the bursaries was unconstitutional.
They warned they would defend the rights of Zulu maidens. They also question how the Commission for Gender Equality could describe virginity testing as a harmful traditional practice.
The removal by the ANC of “failed” uThukela District Municipality Mayor Dudu Mazibuko as a mayoral candidate in the local government elections scheduled for August appears to be directly linked to her support for only choosing 16 virgin girls from the ANC. “The mayor should stick to politics and not mix traditional culture with politics,” said IFP councillor Abbas Warasally.
