They came from all corners of the townships, dressed in colourful traditional Zulu regalia. They were confident and determined to undergo virginity testing, a controversial traditional ceremony of Zulu culture. The tests were conducted by the elderly women of the neighbourhood, known as Isigqi seSintu ,they hope will drastically reduce high levels of sexually-transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. The girls ranged in age from as young as six years to those in their mid-20s. Rape is rife in this sprawling township of kwaPata. The mother of every girl tested pays R5 ( RM2.20 ). Every girl who obtains a certificate promises the testers that she will not sleep with a boy until marriage. If she breaks the promise, the group demands a cow to cleanse her and the girls who graduated with her. The girls are issued with certificates which read as follows:
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"This is to certify that X has been tested and is a virgin. The nation is proud of you and it hopes that the more people who do this, the more we can bring down the levels of STDs, Aids and unwanted pregnancies."
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