From the Washington Post:
The virginity testing debate still simmers after a decade in the spotlight, despite the law prohibiting the testing of girls younger than 16. Elderly women typically perform the tests, often in front of the girls’ parents, by inspecting their genitals for torn hymens. Most common among Zulus, South Africa’s largest ethnic group, the practice is distinct from female genital mutilation, which was banned by the same law.
Among those who have backed virginity testing is Jacob Zuma, a Zulu politician who is expected to win the presidency next year. In a headline-grabbing appearance in 2004, Zuma — who has several wives — told girls attending a virginity testing program that, under African custom, their chastity was “their family’s treasure.”
