by MIA MALAN
Babalwa Ntutu’s* parents thought their prayers had been answered. They were looking forward to spending Christmas Day with their daughter — even if it was at her hospital bedside.
But, on Tuesday last week, shortly after the Mail & Guardian had visited Ntutu at the Zithulele Hospital, 85km from Mthatha, the emaciated teenager died from multiple injuries she had suffered about three months ago. Her family is left with memories of the daughter whose grandmother once described as “clever and strong-willed, with good stamina for sport”. But there were no sign of these characteristics during the past few months.
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Some of the basic elements of the practice are missing in Ntutu’s case, but Gaunt said her death could be linked to an ancient Xhosa and Zulu traditional practice called ukuthwala. Until relatively recently those monitoring the tradition were convinced that it had “died out” in the area. But Gaunt and many Zithulele residents said that ukuthwala had resurfaced — in an unprecedented, violent form.
According to the tradition, young women are abducted and forced to marry strangers. Nomboniso Gasa, a researcher and analyst of gender, politics and cultural issues and former chairperson of the Gender Equality Commission, has been researching “the revival” of ukuthwala for more than three years.
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Gasa said two “important” questions needed to be asked about the situation: “Why has ukuthwala resurfaced at this point in time and why in such a vicious manner?” She has been trying to unravel these questions. She said her investigations had revealed “highly disturbing” trends. She focused on areas of the Wild Coast and KwaZulu-Natal where ukuthwala was “resurgent”.
She said that HIV infections and Aids-related deaths were “significantly” responsible for the increase in ukuthwala. “Families and clans faced with the looming loss of lineage due to the high amount of people in their clans dying of HIV-related illnesses are encouraging their sons to marry early or getting brides for older men, who have been married before and have children. They are advocating early coupling and forcing the girls to marry young so that their families won’t disappear.” She said that victims of ukuthwala were forced to bear children “fast and in quick succession” to keep clans alive.
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