By Buziwe Nocuze
- Amanda Gxagxa founded Ibuyambo Traditionals in 2024 to teach, protect and grow indigenous culture among young people in her community.
- Ibuyambo recently held a competition celebrating girls for their knowledge of tribal background, traditional dress, and their chiefs and headmen.
Amanda Gxagxa wants girls to be proud of a tradition she believes many young South Africans have forgotten.
She founded Ibuyambo Traditionals in 2024 to teach, protect and grow indigenous culture, and to build pride and reconnect young people with their roots. Part of that work includes virginity testing.
“We are also practising virginity testing to teach girls self-respect and cultural values,” Gxagxa said.
South Africa’s Children’s Act sets the legal age for virginity testing at 16, with the child’s own consent required. Some of the girls in Ibuyambo’s programme, including some quoted in this story, are younger than that.
Ibuyambo recently held the Isiqhova Best Inkciyo competition, testing participating girls on their tribal background, traditional dress and its meanings, and knowledge of their chiefs and headmen.
“We organised a cash prize competition to make girls involved in virginity testing feel celebrated for preserving a culture that I fear young people are losing. Most young South Africans are growing up disconnected from their roots,” Gxagxa said.
The organisation also runs an IsiXhosa dialogue, where people are invited to talk and teach others about their backgrounds and roots.
“We mix the traditional and modern ways of approach. We will continue creating spaces where girls practising virginity testing feel safe, ask questions, build confidence, and respect themselves and everyone,” Gxagxa said.
Funding is the organisation’s biggest challenge.
“We are using our own money and some parents do assist, but most of them don’t have money. But we don’t leave the kids behind. We are doing this together, and we hope that one day we will get the funding,” Gxagxa said.
Nolwethu Nonkebe’s two daughters, aged between 10 and 14, take part in the practice.
“I was fortunate enough that my kids chose to join the practice of virginity testing, because it must be their decision, not the parents’, to join it,” Nonkebe said.
Linamandla Ndamase, 15, a Grade 9 learner, joined at age 10.
“Being part of virginity testing is good. It keeps me grounded, teaches me respect, and I am learning a lot of things about my roots. And I cannot do that thing I am not supposed to do until I get married,” Ndamase said.
Pictured above: Ibuyambo recently organised the Isiqhova Best Inkciyo competition for girls participating in virginity testing to celebrate and show them that they are seen and important.
Image source: Supplied
