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Dudu Mazibuko, the mayor of the uThukela district of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, made a very controversial announcement. 16 female students are receiving a special scholarship called the Maiden’s Bursary Awards, which requires them to remain virgins until they get their degree. The move is being criticized by several rights groups, but the mayor is defending her decision.
The girls agreed to regular testing
Introduced this year, the scholarship will be renewed as long as the recipients can prove that they are virgins. When accepting the funding, the girls agreed to regular testing. The money will be taken away if they fail a test. One of the recipients, who preferred not to be named, told media outlet News24 that she did not mind.
“I am proud to be a virgin, I did not know it could open so many doors for me. I did not know I could get something out of it,” she said. “This motivates me to do well and give back at home.”
Another recipient told the news outlet that she gladly accepted the award and encouraged other women to apply –
“This has helped me pay for my outstanding fees and I will be able to continue with my third year and get my degree.”
The reasoning behind it
According to Mazibuko, the idea behind the bursary is to reduce HIV/AIDS and pregnancy in young women. Both of these issues are big problems in South Africa. There are about 6.3 million HIV-positive people in the country – the highest number in the world. KwaZulu-Natal is one of the most affected provinces. And in 2014, there were nearly 20,000 girls who were pregnant in school; 223 of them were still in primary school.
“To us, it’s just to say thank you for keeping yourself and you can still keep yourself for the next three years until you get your degree or certificate,” she said.
Jabulani Mkhonza, a spokesman for uThukela, said the scholarship is also intended to keep girls focused on their schoolwork.
It is getting a lot of backlash
The bursary is being criticized by several rights groups. They are accusing it of being sexist and discriminatory. Sisonke Msimang, who works for the Sonke Gender Justice project in Johannesburg, told Al Jazeera that being sexually active and getting an education are unrelated and called the scholarship a terrible idea. The nation’s Department of Women said they are investigating. Media liaison Charlotte Lobe stated:
“We don’t support anything that undermines the rights of women. If these details are true, we would definitely find it objectionable, and engage with the municipality to resolve it.”
Idumeleng Muloko, a representative for the People Opposing Women Abuse in South Africa, spoke to BBC News and called the conditions of the scholarship violating. Muloko also pointed out that virginity testing will not stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. And finally, the Commission for Gender Equality has also criticized it. Chairman Mfanozelwe Shozi told the Associated Press that the mayor’s intentions are good but they do not agree with the idea.
“There is an issue around discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, virginity and even against boys. This is going too far,” he said.
