Mayor’s war on ukuthwala

OLDER men who abduct underage girls and force them into marriage in the name of ukuthwala could soon be hunted down to face sex crimes charges.

This is a warning by newly elected mayor of the Dr Nkosazana Zuma local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, Ngeneleni Mncwabe.

In an effort to keep young girls at school, she has promised to shut down harmful practices such as the abduction of teenage girls under the guise of the traditional practice known as

“We cannot allow a situation where young women are deprived of education and forced to marry old men,” said Mncwabe, an ANC councillor.

“There are many girl children who have fallen victims of this practice which has been hijacked by paedophiles.

“Many of these children have been promised marriage but instead they’re dumped with babies,” she said at a meeting of parents, NGOs and faith-based organisations.

The girls, mostly from impoverished homes, are targeted by older men for sexual favours.

They promise the parents a life of luxury for their daughters, lobola and marriage.

“The men usually dump the girls once they have impregnated them without keeping their promise of paying lobola to their parents. The trauma of being abducted and forced to have sex lives forever in these young women,” said Mncwabe.

She said the municipality was working with the police to hunt down the sexual predators to prosecute them for sexual crimes.

Daphney Zimu, coordinator of NGO the Ukwazi Foundation, said: “We’ve documented about 14 cases of teenage girls, this year alone, who have been abducted and forced to marry.

“We have cases of girls attempting suicide because of being forced to marry people they hardly even knew, let alone that they’re old enough to be their grandfathers.

“The challenge is that most rural communities are not aware

is a crime, so we’re running educational and awareness campaigns,” she said.