South African district offers study grants to virgin girls

A South African region has launched a grant
scheme for girls who remain virgins throughout
their university studies. The bursary offered in
Uthukela, in the south-east of the country near
Durban, is the creation of the
municipality female mayor, Dudu Mazibujo.
News of the scheme sparked outrage from civil
society groups, and other human rights
group, with one women's association branding it
unconstitutional.
A municipality spokesman Jabulani Mkhonza
"The bursaries are for young girls who are still
virgins, it's a new category which the mayor has
introduced this year",
"The goal was to encourage young girls to keep
themselves pure and inactive from sexual
activity and focus on their studies, beneficiaries
of the grant would be subjected to regular
virginity tests" he added
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," said Mkhonza.
The People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa)
group said it was shocked that taxpayers' money
was being used to violate girls' rights:
"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", the group's
executive director, Nonhlanhla Mokwena, said.
"That is taxpayers' money that is being used to
violate girls… (and) the constitution of this
country" she added.
Many South Africans from poor backgrounds rely
on government grants to get through university.
Planned university fee increase last year
provoked sometimes violent protests nationwide