Reed dance kicks off KZN heritage month celebrations

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.