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Abstinence urged ahead of youth day

    JOHANNESBURG

    South Africa's Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini, on Saturday called on young people to rise up against HIV/AIDS in the same way that the youth of 1976 did against apartheid.

    According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Zwelithini said young people could avoid contracting HIV by abstaining from sex before marriage - a message many youngsters had difficulty grappling with.

    He added that abstinence was not only a solution to curbing the spread of HIV, but was also in keeping with Zulu culture.

    The monarch's address came just weeks ahead of Youth Day on 16 June, a national holiday in honour of all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid 30 years ago.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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