Durban - Local government has rubbished claims that unmarried men in Nquthu are being taxed R50 annually for not having a wife.
This week, rumours emerged that Inkosi Thathezakhe Ngobese allegedly imposed a “bachelor’s tax”, however, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) dismissed the rumours as fake news.
Cogta spokesperson, Lennox Mabaso said the rumour that has been spreading like wildfire.
"We have duly investigated these reports on the ground in Nquthu and we found that this seemingly arbitrary and widely publicised 'bachelor tax' is simply fake news. There is no truth to the story whatsoever," he said.
Bachelor tax is coming to haunt men pic.twitter.com/ygYvCoNbok
— MaԄѕhal Khosa 🅴 (@Marshal_K_) November 14, 2018
KZN Cogta MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube has assured all the people of KwaZulu-Natal that the provincial government will not allow any practice be it traditional or modern that violates the constitution and human rights of citizens.
It is in that spirit that MEC Dube-Ncube quickly assigned a team of officials to investigate the matter and speak to Inkosi. In terms of Zulu custom there are certain levies that are linked to customary practices that are being paid however these must be properly regulated and cannot be directed or violate any demographic such as unmarried males as this will be a total violation of the South African constitution.
The department has embarked on a process to consult traditional leaders with the view of auditing all traditional levies in order to ensure that those that are customary and are accepted by the people are legislated and rationalised and that those that either discriminate or conflict with the constitution are abolished.
really guys ...bachelor tax?! pic.twitter.com/uIxeMf7ySZ
— NoThando (@NottyNdebs) November 14, 2018
"We have investigated the matter and Inkosi Ngobese has dismissed the rumours as a smear campaign by some elements who wants to discredit him. Inkosi confirms his knowledge of only an annual fee of R50 per household (khonza fee) which is for covering administrative responsibilities of traditional council affairs," Mabaso said.
What is the meaning of Bachelor Tax? Does that imply you are not allowed to be single. So if you don’t find someone you love or one who loves you then what must happen? Must you force yourself onto one? I don’t understand what this is about?
— Vezuchiy Fanashnikov (@fanamokoena) November 14, 2018