Photo: Meet the 64-year-old Woman who is a virgin

Ngipheni from KwaMafunze in Pietermaritzburg, South
Africa is a virgin at 64. She had to remain a virgin
because that was the only way to participate in reed dance,
a yearly dance/cultural activity for their king, Goodwill
Zwelithini’s called umkhosi womhlanga. She has been part
of the reed dance since she was a teenager.

"Before we go to the ceremony, our guardians test
us to make sure that we are still virgins. This is
because the ceremony is only for virgins," she said.

Although still a virgin, Ngipheni said she has longed for sex
before.

"The only way I could deal with the longing was
by remembering my parents’ advice. Longing for sex is
natural if you are a human being."

She said during her younger days, she used to have many
boys proposing love to her.

"I wanted to remain innocent so
I turned them down." Ngipheni also revealed that she had
a boyfriend once who later became her fiance.

"In our days our fiances never rushed us into having
sex. They respected us. I separated with my fiance
because he cheated"

Ngipheni added that she was happy that she’s safe from
sexually transmitted diseases. She stresses that she is not
saying young women should stay away from sex and
marriage.

"If you have sex do it responsibly. Do it after
marriage. Once you are married, ask your partner to go
for an HIV test before you engage in sex. This will
reduce the number of people with HIV and teenage
pregnancy."

Ngipheni’s guardian, Zithobile Mbhele, said she has been
working with her for more than 30 years. "She is a good
influence on young women in the area. We are proud of
her. She has never missed umkhosi womhlanga"” said
Zithobile.