Former South African president and current Umkhonto Wisizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma plans to send teenage girls to Robben Island to train them at school if his party does well in May's general election. He promised to reintroduce corporal punishment.
The 81-year-old spoke to a crowd of supporters in the Pietermaritzburg suburb of Makonko over the weekend.
Also read: 'Genius': Election 'matchmaker' site helps voters choose the perfect party
Zuma: Pregnant teens exiled to Robben Island
Mr Zuma insisted to the audience that teenage pregnancy would not be tolerated at his MK party. If that were to happen, young girls would essentially be exiled to Robben Island to complete their schooling.
Girls will be separated from their communities.
“According to the law, children should not have children. That is not life. It is a disease. We will end it,” he said.
Mr Zuma did not say what would happen to the baby or the man who fathered it.
according to intraocular lens, The former president is expected to release his party's manifesto later this month. Details will be announced in the coming days.
More plans in progress
In his speech, Jacob Zuma also outlined further plans for the MK Party's vision for South Africa.
This includes:
Reintroducing corporal punishment in schools.
Remove Roman-Dutch law from South Africa's legal system.
“We have to comply with African law,” he said.
ALSO READ: 'Disastrous': Loyiso Gora comes under fire for criticizing Jacob Zuma's party
Prohibit children from reporting parents to police
“We were beaten when we were young. This law that says you can't hit a child even if you're not feeling well, and call the police. Absolutely not,” he said.
forcing young people to join the military
He said, “After matric, young people, especially young men, will undergo 12 months of military training. This is how we protect our country and our people.”
public anger
Needless to say, the public reacted strongly to Zuma's plans regarding teenage pregnancy.
Here's what some people had to say about X
@Zack_here: “So the girl will be taken to Robben Island. What about the boy who impregnated the girl?
@papi_911: “This is why I continue to say that politicians should not be in power after 65 years. When you grow old, you forget that you contributed to the current problems of the country.”
@rholm_charlene: “We're talking about a violation of children's rights.”
@Tabelo_Gwenya: “What about the person who got her pregnant? So the girl bears the sole responsibility and punishment?”
When a political party is freewheeling, you know it's going through an electoral process, but there's no thought process at all pic.twitter.com/odGY2I3IUP
— Lager, not tintswalo (@LagerMntumni) February 25, 2024
