Former president Jacob Zuma’s vow to “exile teen parents” has resurfaced after he announced that the proposal will come to pass under an Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party government.
“According to the law, a child should not give birth to a child, that’s not life, it’s a disease. We will end it,” he said. He said the MK Party will build a university on Robben Island for pregnant teenagers to complete their studies.
This comes after about 90,000 under aged girls were reported to be pregnant last year.
In 2015, Zuma said the teenage parents would be separated from their babies and be taken to Robben Island, a notorious prison during the apartheid regime.
He said the main reason was for them to complete their studies so that they could be able to provide for their children and also contribute towards the economic growth of the country.
On Sunday, Zuma delivered a keynote address at the MK Party rally in Maqongqo, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
He outlined the plans to address such societal issues. This was to encourage people to vote for his party in the 2024 general elections.
The elections will be held on May 29.
Among the election promises were free education, jobs, the return of corporal punishment, and mandatory military training for young South Africans after completing their matric.
In a bid to address the growing crime rate in the country, Zuma said young people, more especially young men who had just completed their matric, would be required to undergo a one-year military training.
He said this would ensure that they know how to defend their country.
Zuma also recommended the return of corporal punishment within homes to end the behaviour of children disrespecting their elders and instil discipline.
He said no child will call on the police to report their parents for disciplining them.
“We were beaten when we were young. This law that says children should not be beaten, even though they are out of order, and also calls the police to report. Never,” he said.
He said this prevented parents and guardians from properly raising their children with respect.
IOL Politics