The Setting

This story takes place in the Uthukela district of eastern KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. It's a mouthful, I know. But it's important to note the fact that this story takes place in a KwaZulu-Natal province since this story questions some of the ancient Zulu generations.

• One tradition that is mainly called into question is the validity of virginity testing. Just a bit of background information, but in ancient times, if a girl was a "certified" virgin, then her family was able to receive a higher dowry than they would if she wasn't a virgin. Nowadays, being a "certifiable" virgin gives a girl social ranking and can apparently get them money now. That's actually the exact opposite of prostitution if you think about it.

KZN Top Business. "Uthukela District Municipality." via kzntopbusiness.co.za. Licensed for noncommercial reuse.
 Here is a map of the Uthukela District Municipality so you can get a visual feel for where exactly this all took place.

More specifically, this story revolves around the mayor and so this story is mostly set in the government halls as well as in the houses where the virginity tests. Most often, they're not performed by actual doctors, but by allocated members of the community. The girls have to lie down on grass mats with towels on top of them to keep them modest throughout the "exam."