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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The community of KwaCele, near Lusikisiki, has promised to end the practice of Ukuthwala if the State drops charges against those arrested for the tradition, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) ...

Under the guise of the African cultural practice of ukuthwala – the “kidnapping” of a girl to force marriage negotiations – men have abducted and raped women. The practice has been condemned by ANC ...

Less than a month before her 13th birthday, Mbali* and her cousin were ambushed by a group of young men as the two girls were coming out of a relative's house. One of them, who was armed with a knife, ...

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 ...

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, ...