Photos: AmaZulu King hosts annual reed dance in Ingwavuma, KZN

AmaZulu King Misuzulu is on Saturday hosting the annual reed dance (Umkhosi Womhlanga) at the Emachobeni Royal Palace, in Ingwavuma, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The ceremony is taking place for the first time in two years, as it was previously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reed dance, where maidens will undergo virginity testing and then present their reeds to the King, is a long-standing Zulu culture to promote sexual abstinence to young girls.

The King’s late parents – AmaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini and Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, revived the reed dance ceremony back in the 1990s.

This was also used as one of the fights to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS.

On Saturday, thousands of maidens will present their reeds to the King Misuzulu KaZwelithini after their virginity is tested.

Some of them will be doing this for the first time before the new king.

Last year, only a few attended due COVID-19 protocols restrictions. However, this time around around 3 000 maidens are expected to attend.

This is also the first leg of the reed dance as a second one is to be held at the Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma in two weeks’ time.

The late King Goodwill Zwelithini used to encourage young girls to keep observing this ceremony and now King Misuzulu is expected to do the same.

He has also previously mentioned that there needs to be a channel which they can use to also build young boys to become better men in society.

-EWN

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