By Celani Sikhakhane
• Balobedu maidens performed their Khekhapa traditional dance as Rain Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII joined thousands attending the Zulu Reed Dance.
• More than 30,000 reeds were delivered to the royal palace after shortages left disappointed maidens without reeds at last year’s ceremony.
Rain Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII got Zulu queens dancing as Balobedu maidens brought their culture to the 46th annual Zulu Reed Dance.
Thousands of maidens gathered at eMashobeni Royal Palace on Saturday to celebrate their culture and virginity.
King Misuzulu kaZwelithini gave the Rain Queen and Balobedu maidens an opportunity to showcase their traditional Khekhapa dance.
The Balobedu maidens took to the stage to perform as the Zulu queens joined them.
Rain Queen Masalanabo showed the queens how to follow the traditional dance moves.
The Khekhapa dance is traditionally performed by Balobedu women during their nation’s celebrations.
Prince Bonelela Mgudlwa of the AbaThembu nation also attended the ceremony and called on young South African women from all cultures to learn from the maidens.
He believes respecting culture and heritage can help society deal with some of the problems it faces.
“As AbaThembu, we are here to support the Zulu Kingdom in this initiative. We believe that as a society we need to go back to our roots in order to overcome the challenges of today,” Prince Bonelela said.
“It is very important to observe our culture and respect our heritage.”
This year’s Reed Dance was dominated by singing, dancing and celebrations instead of long speeches.
King Misuzulu decided to cut speeches from the ceremony because he believed they bored the maidens and took away from their celebration.
Radio and television personality Anele Mdoda, who attended with her husband, praised the maidens for preserving their culture.
“What is happening here in the palace is so beautiful and extremely amazing,” Mdoda said.
She said she hoped more young women would take pride in their culture.
“May this thing grow, may more girls take pride in their culture and the Zulu Kingdom forever be blessed,” she said.
Organisers also wanted to avoid a repeat of the trouble that hit last year’s ceremony.
Many maidens were left angry and disappointed after there were not enough reeds for everyone.
Some returned home crying while others complained on social media.
For the maidens, receiving a reed is an important part of taking part because they present it to the King during the ceremony.
This year, the Department of Transport stepped in.
More than 30,000 reeds were harvested and delivered to eMashobeni Royal Palace to make sure every maiden could have a reed to present to King Misuzulu.
The ceremony brought Balobedu and Zulu traditions together as thousands of young women celebrated their heritage through song and dance.
Caption:The Bolabedu Maidens performing the Khekhapa traditional dance at eMashobeni Royal Palace.
Image source:Balobedu Kingdom.
