South Africa: Zuma's Blaming and Shaming of Pregnant Teenagers Is Misdirected and Cruel

Source: allAfrica

South Africa: Zuma's Blaming and Shaming of Pregnant Teenagers Is Misdirected and Cruel

I agree with the former president that teenage pregnancies are symptomatic of a disease, but like so many sexual diseases, it is transmitted by men.

Recently, at a rally in Pietermaritzburg, former president Jacob Zuma raised the issue of teenage pregnancies. Of course, this was not the first time.

A few years ago, when he was still president, he suggested that a university should be built on Robben Island and pregnant teenagers should be sent there to be educated.

At the time, we thought it was a misguided joke, only to realise he was serious. After a public outcry (and presumably on the guidance of his advisers) we, thankfully, did not hear much more of it.

Yet here we are again. Back on the campaign trail, the father of 14 labelled teenage pregnancies a disease which, if he had his way, the uMkhonto Wesizwe party would put an end to by sending the young girls to the island where political prisoners were previously incarcerated by the apartheid government.

"We are going to take the children and fly them there so that they can study until they finish and stop this thing [teenage pregnancies]," he said.

Thankfully, as long as we are a constitutional state, such barbaric steps will never be allowed. The problem is that by suggesting a punishment reminiscent of the horrific Irish Magdalene...