What South Africa Is Planning For Virgin Girls

23rd Jan. 2016

A South African region on Friday, January 22, launched a new grant scheme for girls who remain virgins throughout the course of their university studies.

This has gotten various reactions from left, right and center, saying it violates the rights of the girl child. The bursary offered in Uthukela, in the southeast of the country near Durban city, is the brainchild of municipality’s female mayor Dudu Mazibujo.

“The bursaries are for young girls who are still virgins,” municipality spokesman Jabulani Mkhonza told AFP.
“It’s a new category which the mayor has introduced this year,” he said, adding that the goal is to encourage “young girls to keep themselves pure and inactive from sexual activity and focus on their studies. Those children who have been awarded bursaries will be checked whenever they come back for holidays. The bursary will be taken away if they lose their virginity.” 

However, one of the groups against this scheme, the People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) group, said the virgin scholarship is a misuse of tax payers money.

“POWA is shocked to hear that young girls are being tested for virginity in order to get bursaries… it’s a violation of their rights. That is taxpayers’ money that is being used to violate girls… (and) the constitution of this country,” the group’s executive director Nonhlanhla Mokwena told AFP.

What do you think about the virgin scholarship programme? If it’s introduced in Nigeria, would you benefit from it?


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