Maiden bursaries discriminatory: commission
The Commission for Gender Equality has found that the awarding of the so-called virgin bursaries by the Uthukela Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal to be discriminatory.
The commission released its findings Friday morning.
The municipality awarded 'Maiden Bursaries' to young women on the condition that they remained virgins. The young women also had to undergo regular virginity tests to ensure they were not sexually active.
Chairperson of the commission, Mfanozelwe Shozi said councillors of the municipality must receive training on gender equality.
"The reasoning behind awarding the bursary, the intention is not a bad one, but the method was discriminatory in terms of placing all these matters of preventing HIV/AIDS and virginity on women," he said.