Zuma wife-to-be’s pregnancy shameful, says former mentor

The doyenne of virginity testing in Kwa-Zulu-Natal has lashed out at Jacob Zuma’s bride-to-be for bringing the ancient Zulu custom into disrepute.

Nomagugu Ngobese‚ who is credited with reviving virginity testing and founded the Nomkhubulwane Culture and Youth Development Organisation which promotes the practice among African communities‚ said yesterday it was an insult that Nonkanyiso Conco claimed she was a director of the organisation.

Conco‚ who gave birth to a boy on April 12, the same day former president Jacob Zuma turned 76, is set to become Msholozi’s 7th bride.

“She left Nomkhubulwane about three or four years ago. Nomkhubulwane has rules and one of them is that you must introduce your boyfriend‚ and if he is paying lobola for you‚ we accompany you when you get married and you still get tested before you get married.

“We don’t test people who are already people’s wives. That’s an insult to our culture,” Ngobese said.

Virginity testing is an ancient Zulu tradition regarded as an important rite of passage to womanhood.

The practice was largely neglected by previous Zulu kings but revived by King Zwelithini in 1984.
Every spring thousands of young girls descend on the king’s royal palace, Enyokeni, in Nongoma, to declare their virginity before him.

He has used every occasion to teach them about the importance of remaining pure before marriage.

Conco‚ who was under Ngobese’s mentorship‚ had been one of the girls who made the trek from Pietermaritzburg to Nongoma every year to declare their purity before Zwelithini.

But Ngobese said Conco had left Nomkhubulwane three or for years ago and she had heard Conco was recruited by a political party during the 2014 general elections to woo young girls for votes. “What irritates me is that she claims to be a director of my organisation while she left a long time ago to live her own life. What director was she? Because she was just a participant and she has no direction herself‚” Ngobese said.

She described Conco’s falling pregnant before marriage as “shameful”.

“She is exploiting others. Girls are very ashamed of what she has done,” Ngobese said.

Conco‚ 24‚ a former massage parlour owner‚ has been visiting the Nkandla compound since she was 19‚ according to her unverified Twitter account.

She is reportedly ready to settle with the former president‚ who is 52 years her senior. – TimesLIVE