Powa’s (People opposing women abuse) Palesa Mpapa said, “The fact that we align virginity to the right to education is not making sense. It’s also discriminating - the girls being lured into bursaries on the basis of virginity and what are we saying about boys?”
She said that the practice of virginity testing was unconstitutional.
“If anyone wants to keep their virginity, it’s their right to do it in their individual capacity. It’s a personal issue, which is not supposed to be done in public and it’s also not good that anyone’s using it in order to get a bursary.”
The constitutional and human rights violations of this scheme have prompted significant condemnation from activists and lawyers in South Africa.
The bursaries infringe on numerous…show more content… There are three of us at home. This motivates me to do well and give back at home. When I finish my studies I am going to give back by helping other pupils in my hometown."
She warned girls that falling pregnant prematurely would ruin their lives. They should put their education first.
UThukela Municipality Mayor Dudu Mazibuko says the practice of virginity testing has existed in the Zulu culture for decades and therefore the Maidens Bursary is acceptable.
Mazibuko has stood her ground around the controversial bursary which provides funding for young women on the condition that they undergo regular virginity testing.
16 young South African women are currently beneficiaries of the programme.
Mazibuko says “It’s not something that we are recreating or doing as a municipality. In fact, I don’t know how it’s done. They’ve submitted a certificate to us as a municipality which shows they are virgins.”
‘’What I have noticed about all the critics is that they are not bringing solutions" says Mazibuko, who got pregnant in high school and doesn't want teenage girls to go through the same struggle.
Mazibuko says they have tried different ways to stop teenage pregnancies in the schools of her district but nothing has