Reed dance kicks off KZN heritage month celebrations - IOL
The Umkhosi Womhlanga -Reed Dance will resume in northern KwaZulu-Natal this weekend, during Heritage Month.
Thousands of maidens are expected to descend on the eMashobeni Royal Palace, near Nongoma, for the annual reed dance as KwaZulu-Natal embraces its cultural and heritage roots in Heritage Month 2026.
According to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Heritage Month is commemorated in September under the theme: “Celebrating our living Heritage: Strengthening the ties that bind us.” The second leg of Umkhosi Womhlanga at eMashobeni will run until Sunday, September 13.
The department said it provides an opportunity for South Africans to reflect on their shared history, celebrate cultural diversity, and strengthen a collective sense of belonging grounded in the constitutional values of human dignity, equality, non-racialism, non-sexism, and the spirit of Ubuntu. Heritage Day will be observed on September 24.
Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Mntomuhle Khawula regarded this as the province’s most significant cultural and moral regeneration ceremony, held under the auspices of King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini. The first leg, last week, attracted more than 5,000 maidens, with the number expected to double this weekend.
“Maidens clad in their colourful beads and traditional regalia in a display of their purity and pride for abstinence converge on the Royal Palace. Umkhosi Womhlanga celebrates Zulu culture, purity, identity, dignity and Ubuntu, while reinforcing the values of responsible citizenship and positive social development among young women,” Khawula said.
The government had progressively reoriented the heritage sector towards inclusivity, redress, and cultural democracy.
“These efforts have enhanced the visibility of indigenous languages, music, rituals, traditional healing practices, craftsmanship, and oral histories, while supporting the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next," Khawula said.
Ngipheni Ngcobo, 75, will be part of the annual Umkhosi Womhlanga Reed Dance in KwaZulu-Natal.
The festival always churns up interesting conversations over the years from participants young and old. Ngipheni Ngcobo, who turned 75 on August 15, has been a regular attendee and participant in traditional ceremonies celebrating the chastity and purity of unmarried women.
As a 75-year-old virgin, she has resigned herself to maintaining her chastity until the end of her life. Ngcobo said she remained committed to the vow she had made to preserve her virginity.
“I remain true to my word, and I will never depart from it. I hope that my covenant to remain pure lasts until death. Chastity can help young women resist worldly temptations. I am telling young virgins, it is doable, even though it is challenging. You can remain pure. If you are a virgin, you lead a very clean life,” she said.
Road Traffic Inspectorate and the Department of Transport officials inspect one of the many buses transporting people to the Mashobeni Royal Palace, near Nongoma, for the annual reed dance.
Siboniso Duma, the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, said they have deployed resources to ensure the safety of maidens and guests traveling to eMashobeni Royal Palace. Duma said the Head of the Department, Zibusiso Dlamini, and senior management teams from eThekwini Municipality had witnessed an extensive inspection of 33 private buses due to transport maidens to the dance.
Operation Shanela teams conducted the inspection at the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) Centre in Pinetown. Duma said that within 10 minutes of the inspection, a bus with defective brakes and a defective driver’s seat was declared unroadworthy and suspended.
“It is important to point out that when the seat is not firmly bolted down, it can shift suddenly, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and potentially causing a multi-vehicle collision. Apart from inspections, teams will provide dedicated traffic-management support across key routes leading to the palace," Duma said.
