Girls who cannot afford to attend the University of Pretoria are being offered academic scholarships, but there’s a catch – they need to remain celibate throughout their studies. Known as the “Maiden’s Bursary Award”, recipients need to undergo virginity testing at every vacation. Female elders also conduct manual hymen inspections on grass mats.

18-year-old Thubelihle is the recipient of this year’s award. “You only have one chance to be a maiden,” she says, regarding her government scholarship. “We are keeping away from boys because we want to achieve our goals.”

Other groups however say that the state scholarship is invasive and not based on capabilities. South Africa’s main oposition party has lodged a complaint with the country’s human rights position stating that the virgin test scholarship is unconstitutional.

“What I have noticed about all the critics is that they are not bringing solutions,” says uThukela Mayor Dudu Mazibuko who offers the scholarship. She says that she was prompted by her own experience as a high school teen to offer the scholarships. She hopes that in this way she will stop teenage pregnancies in the region.