Mayor stands by decision on maiden bursaries
The Mayor of the uThukela District Municipality has again defended their decision to start a bursary scheme benefiting virgins.
Dudu Mazibuko has been responding to a report released last week by the Commission for Gender Equality which probed the bursary programme.
The commission found that the awarding of such bursaries was unconstitutional and ordered that the programme be discontinued.
Speaking at the KZN premier's office in Durban, Mazibuko said they don't agree with the findings adding that the bursaries are not about keeping girls virgins, but about addressing the problems of teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
''We did not just wake up one day and then decide to issue bursaries. But having consulted with the communities of uThukela, as per our mandate, we then took a decision that we would implement the bursary.
''I must also say that after the noises in January we went back to the communities and the communities of uThukela still feels strongly that we are on the right track,'' she said.
