‘My Virginity Will Change my Future’, Vows S.African Student

Thubelihle Dlodlo would not have made it to university in South Africa this year as her family could not afford the fees, but virginity brought her a lifeline.As long as she remains a virgin, her tuition and boarding fees will be paid by her hometown municipality until the completion of her bachelor’s degree in education at a Pretoria university. The 18-year-old secured a bursary or grant that rewards “maidens” in an attempt to curb teenage pregnancies and the rampant spread of HIV/AIDS in Uthukela district, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the coastal city of Durban. “This bursary is so important because it will change my future. I can conquer the world,” said Dlodlo, wearing a green-and-yellow miniskirt and multi-coloured necklace beads. The size of the grants varies, but can be worth several thousand dollars a year. A fellow recipient, Bongiwe Sithole, would also have dropped out of university due to poverty, but now will continue her studies. Even at 32, she has delayed having sex. “There is no limit for us as maidens,” Sithole said. “We are going to get the bursary (whether we)… pass with distinction or not. “With your body, with your virginity, we get the bursary.” Halfway through her four-year teaching diploma, she is the oldest of the 16 beneficiaries of the grants. One of the conditions, however, is to undergo virginity tests, conducted by elderly women.