THE cultural practice of ‘ukuthwala’ is often used to label the abduction, rape or forced marriage of young girls to older men as ‘tradition’. Reports are widely received from local teachers and ...

Just over a decade ago in South Africa, a flurry of media reports surfaced about a customary practice known as ukuthwala. The reports described a rise in ukuthwala characterised by the kidnapping, ...

Ukuthwala is not synonymous with tradition, especially in a country that prides itself in a constitution which enshrines human rights. Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola this ...

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 ...

“Back home in the Eastern Cape, ukuthwala is normal and has always been, so long as one has the means to pay lobola and if the girl’s family consent to have her married,” a man at the Clare Estate ...

A man who practised ukuthwala many years ago is still happily married, a briefing by the Commission for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities ...

Customary practices such as ukuthwala should not be used as criminal defence in cases of rape and abuse of women and children. This is the message that rights lobby groups hope will reach many rural ...

The deputy minister of police on Thursday had strong words for those who practise ukuthwala. “They are nothing more than paedophiles!” said Maggie Sotyu. “We want to say‚ we respect a tradition that ...

More than 90,000 South African girls between the ages of 12 and 17 were either married, divorced, separated, widowed or living with a partner as husband and wife in 2016. The latter formed the ...

This story was first published in The Conversation. Ukuthwala is a term in Nguni languages which has various meanings. It can refer to ways (including abduction) of making a customary marriage happen ...

Ukuthwala is a term in Nguni languages which has various meanings. It can refer to ways (including abduction) of making a customary marriage happen quickly. South Africa has a varied cultural make-up, ...