By Celani Sikhakhane
- Umfolozi Municipality Mayor Xolani Bhengu says the Constitution phased out traditional courtship practices that degraded women’s dignity in rural KZN.
- The mayor spoke at a Mzingazi Hall gathering in Mfolozi, near eMpangeni, marking 30 years since South Africa adopted its Constitution.
Umfolozi Municipality Mayor Xolani Bhengu has a specific example of what the Constitution changed in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Men used to grab women’s legs by force to get their attention. They touched women’s bodies without permission. He says the Constitution ended that.
“You would find a man touching the buttocks of a woman in a very harassing manner. Some would even grab a woman’s leg by force to get her attention as he wants them to date,” Bhengu said.
“But when the Constitution was passed, it phased out all of those inappropriate things and restored the dignity of women that are now enshrined in the Bill of Rights.”
Bhengu was speaking on Tuesday at Mzingazi Hall in Mfolozi, near eMpangeni, at a government event marking 30 years since South Africa adopted its Constitution.
He said the Constitution still recognises the traditional beliefs of rural communities but has brought dignity and respect for people’s rights alongside them.
The event was organised by the KwaZulu-Natal Government Communication and Information Service. KZN GCIS director Ndala Mngadi said the gathering gave communities a chance to reflect on South Africa’s democratic journey and the progress made since 1994.
The Constitution was adopted after the first democratic elections in 1994.
Pictured above: Rural communities of Umfolozi Local Municipality gathered at Mzingazi Hall to mark 30 years of the South African Constitution.
Image source: KZNGCIS
