Crash doesn’t stop ‘proud virgin’ from taking part in ceremony
THE scar on Simangele Khomo’s left cheek is the result of a horrific bus accident that claimed the lives of nine young women returning from the reed dance in Nongoma last year.
She spent two weeks in hospital after the crash, but yesterday Khomo was back at Enyokeni Palace.
With thousands of young women, she presented her reed to Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini to affirm her virginity.
Khomo, 26, of Umzumbe on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, joined other young women, resplendent in colourful loincloths, who descended on the palace for the annual Umkhosi woMhlanga event.
She does not remember much about last year’s crash except that the bus seemed to be speeding. “I just prayed to God to spare my life. That’s all I can remember before the accident.”
She had been flung out of the mangled wreckage and when she regained consciousness, she was lying on the side of the road, next to the body of one of the young women who died. SCARRED: Simangele Khomo was a victim of an accident after last year’s reed dance
Yesterday, Khomo sang and danced with young women from her rural village in a public display of their pride at being virgins. For her the reed dance — which has been denounced as oppressive by gender activists — is an important cultural event celebrating the purity and abstinence of those who subject ROYAL FLUSH: King Goodwill Zwelithini’s daughter, Princess Sinethemba, leads the reed dance at Enyokeni Palace near Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal themselves to virginity testing.
“I’m always encouraged to meet my peers at the reed dance because we discuss issues around preserving ourselves. We share ideas about taking responsibility for our bodies. I am proud about being a virgin.”
Virginity testing is an ancient Zulu tradition, shared by the Swazis.
The Swazi reed dance, which was held at King Mswati III’s Ludzidzini Royal Residence last weekend, was marred by the death of dozens of young women following a crash involving the truck ferrying them to the ceremony.
Only virgins take part in the reed dance. They have to be tested by elderly women before the pilgrimage to Enyokeni and Ludzidzini palaces. By remaining pure, the maidens are safe from unwanted pregnancies, HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted diseases. But the success of virginity testing is not backed up by facts, as KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of HIV/Aids infections in the country.
In the past few years, King Zwelithini has been criticised by human rights groups and feminists for reviving the practice as they regard it as a violation of the girls’ rights.
Concerns have been raised about whether the girls are willing participants or coerced to undergo virginity testing.
King Zwelithini has resisted all attempts to outlaw virginity testing in the past and has been emboldened by the decision re- cently by the ANC Women’s League to endorse the reed dance.
At its elective conference last month, the league backtracked on its earlier call for the abolition of cultural practices such as the reed dance.
The league had taken a tough stance on virginity testing, which it described as harmful to the young girls, but some within the women’s movement believe that abolishing the practice tramples on the beliefs of those who practise it.
Meanwhile, a young woman was hospitalised after sustaining head injuries during a stampede at the reed dance on Friday. Twenty others were treated for minor cuts. The stampede happened just before 7pm as the king addressed the women. TWO taxi drivers ferrying young women to the reed dance were arrested for being at least seven times over the legal alcohol limit.
The two face several charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless and negligent driving. They were arrested near the royal palace at Enyokeni, near Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal, yesterday.
Road Traffic Inspectorate officials said the men did not have valid driver’s licences or professional driving permits.
Officials along the N2 highway between Durban and northern KwaZuluNatal also impounded a bus after it was found to be unroadworthy. There were 65 young women bound for the reed dance on board.
Inspectorate spokeswoman Zinhle Mngomezulu said officials would be on the alert for the rest of the weekend as many of the young women would be making their way home today.— Matthew Savides
We share ideas about taking responsibility for our bodies. I am proud about being a virgin