Cultural expert Dr Nomagugu Ngobese dismissed as myth that young maidens keep themselves pure for the king. | Khaya Ngwenya/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — Cultural expert and virginity tester Dr Nomagugu Ngobese has dismissed as myth that young Zulu maidens keep themselves pure and attend the Umkhosi woMhlanga reed dance for the Zulu king to choose a wife among them.
The expert, who also runs a cultural organisation, the Nomkhubulwane Cultural Institute, was reacting to a hullabaloo following King Misuzulu’s decision to pay lobola for a woman who was said to have had babies with another man from her previous relationship. The king is still a subject of public discussion after pictures and videos showering Nomzamo Myeni with a coat covered with R200 and R100 notes in a traditional ceremony known as Umkhehlo emerged last week. Apart from the money coat, the king was said to have also paid 15 cows as part of lobola. It was reported that Myeni has three children.
Myeni, who was one of the king’s office staff, would be the king’s third wife after Ntokozo Mayisela from Newcastle, and Nozizwe Mulela from eSwatini.
The public questioned the practice on the basis of culture that it was taboo for even an ordinary man to marry a woman with babies of another man, let alone the king doing that. People accused the king of undermining the culture and the purpose of the annual reed dance, whereas as the custodian of the Zulu culture young maidens should be encouraged to keep themselves pure.
Historically, the understanding of the practice (girls keeping themselves pure) was that they have to engage in sex after getting married and attending the reed dance ceremony was that the king might choose a wife among them, but Ngobese dismissed that as myth. She said remaining a virgin was more a matter of self-esteem for a woman rather than keeping themselves for marriage, saying it was a choice for women to get married, not a culture.
“When virgin maidens attend Umkhosi woMhlanga they are not expecting a king to choose a wife among them. This is a myth. Even late King Zwelithini never chose a wife from the event,” said Ngobese.
She added that there was no evidence that all his wives were virgins when he married them and there is no culture that dictated to the king that he must only marry a virgin. She further disputed that it was un-African for kings to marry a woman with another man’s children, saying as culturalists they respected the king’s decision to take Myeni, who was said to have children from her previous relationship
Furthermore, Ngobese said the Zulu nation would only be concerned if the king would ask the nation to pay lobola for a woman who has children from a previous relationship. Traditionally, a king’s wife whose lobola would be paid by the nation is the one who will bear the heir to the throne, so Ngobese said it would not be the woman has babies from the previous relationship.
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