She does not want overt discrimination against the girls whom she deems are not virgins. Several she counseled to visit a health clinic because she believed they had a sexually transmitted disease. This is not, however, how Mrs. Ngobeselikes to work. Mrs. Ngobese, who wears traditional costumes for the testing, uses rubber gloves to do the exams which she changes whenever she suspects that one of the girls has an infection. Exams cost about 10 cents, a certificate of virginity 90 cents.
Some people see it as oppression.
But we are burying our youth every Saturday here. We must do something. On some weekends, Mrs. Ngobese's testing is only a component of bigger celebrations that involve the whole community and are usually organized by a Zulu cultural group that wants to revive Zulu traditions. Nelson Ntshangase, a lecturer in Zulu at the University of Natal heads the group, and says such events make better platforms for involving both men and women in taking responsibility for the welfare of young girls. He would like to see more male virginity testing according to a local custom.