Graduate maidens outraged after MEC bars them from stage at Reed Dance

Zulu maidens who are graduates from tertiary institutions have expressed anger at KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Arts and Culture, Mntomuhle Khawula, after he barred them from addressing the crowd at the recent uMkhosi woMhlanga (Reed Dance).

The graduates said they had planned to use the platform to motivate younger maidens to pursue education, but Khawula blocked them from taking the stage at eMashobeni Royal Palace in oPhongolo, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

They were scheduled to appear on Sunday morning wearing graduation gowns, a programme publicly announced the previous day by King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu.

The young women told Independent Media they were humiliated when Khawula ordered them off the stage in their gowns, in full view of the audience.

Mningi Andile Zuma, head of the maidens, described the MEC’s actions as harsh.

“He said the Reed Dance is not for educated individuals but for maidens. He even said it through a loudhailer, in front of everyone,” Zuma said.

She added that they had already been granted permission to be part of the programme, yet more than 30 graduates were turned away without addressing their peers.

“What hurt most was that we had hired those graduation gowns. I was so disappointed that I cried all day. I couldn’t even participate in the Reed Dance; I sat in the car the rest of the day,” Zuma said.

Thandayiphi Mehlokayise Khulu, an organiser from Majuba TVET College, said Khawula misunderstood their intentions.

“He reacted incorrectly. Some assumed graduates wanted to boast about their qualifications, but the aim was to inspire the younger maidens to stick to education. We believe that one person’s success is everyone’s success. I myself haven’t finished studying, but I invited five graduates to encourage others,” Khulu said.

Another graduate, Zinhle Kubheka, said she left the Reed Dance in disappointment.

“It would have been better if the MEC had spoken to us privately instead of embarrassing us publicly. We felt disrespected. We had a plan, and it was destroyed in front of everyone,” Kubheka said.

Thato Zondi said removing the graduates’ slot gave the impression that the Reed Dance only emphasises marriage.

“On Sunday, the main theme was maidens bidding farewell as they prepare for marriage. That’s beautiful, but not all of us will be lucky enough to marry. We need self-upliftment options for maidens. The royal household has international links; why not use them to help maidens study or work overseas? We could also run programmes to guide maidens on applying to tertiary institutions. It can’t just be about marriage,” Zondi said.

Zondi, who flew from Johannesburg with her graduation gown, said she had hoped to inspire others.

“I wasn’t there to show off, but to encourage. Just as I was inspired seeing maidens on stage preparing for matrimony, others could have been inspired by seeing us in our gowns,” she said.

Arts and Culture MEC spokesperson Ntando Mnyandu declined to comment, saying questions should be directed to Prince Thulani.

Prince Thulani confirmed that he had announced the graduates’ slot but insisted he was only relaying a message.

“The programme came at the eleventh hour. The Reed Dance takes time to plan. They were late in telling us. It’s not a bad idea, but they got it wrong by not informing us in time,” he said.

Meanwhile, controversy also erupted over the presence of “fake maidens” at the Reed Dance. Some participants told Ukhozi FM’s drive-time show, Woza Nabangani Bakho, that social media influencers pretending to be virgins had attended in luxury vehicles, including high-end Mercedes-Benz V-Class models.

Maidens Luthando Dlamini, Precious Meyiwa, Bongiwe Ngubane and Ziyanda Dlamini said these influencers degraded the event by masquerading as virgins and even taking reeds reserved for those who had undergone virginity testing. As a result, some genuine maidens were left without reeds.

On social media, fingers were pointed at influencer Snow Zulu, known for attending traditional events in attire reserved for maidens. Critics questioned why she never disclosed her virginity testing camp.

Zulu hit back on social media and wrote, “Jealousy is the inheritance of dogs. If we begged for success from your mothers, we would have died long ago because your mothers know muti.”

TikTok was soon flooded with videos criticising influencers’ presence at the Reed Dance. The main criticism stemmed from influencers who reduced the Reed Dance to content creation.— Additional reporting by Simangaliso Ntshangase

SUNDAY TRIBUNE