UNDER the watchful gaze of a bemused long-horned bull, Khanyisile Dlamini took the blue and yellow tassel out of her hair and threw it on top of a growing straw mound in the middle of the Royal Kraal.

“If it were not for that, I’m afraid I would have broken my virginity by now,” the 16-year-old Swazi maiden said quietly. “Today I am still able to walk tall with pride because I know I am pure.”

She was one of thousands of “virgins” to descend on the Royal Palace since Swaziland’s eccentric King Mswati III last week abruptly ended a five-year ban on teenage sex one year early. The ban had been introduced in an attempt to stem the spread of Aids in the country with the world’s highest infection rate, where almost half of the one million population are HIV-positive.

The “virgins” from all over this mountainous kingdom are gathering for Umcwasho, a ritual ceremony to mark the end of chastity. Despite the party atmosphere, most of the girls said that they are unhappy to say goodbye to the tassels that indicated they were off limits.

“Males kept away because of the large fines involved. Girls know that now it is over, it does not mean they can start misbehaving, but how are we going to keep them away?” Sijabulile Mdluli, 16, said, indicating a group of smiling boys.

Local chiefs made sure that girls who wore the tassels were not bothered. If the orders were not followed, the boys’ families could be fined a cow — a fortune in one of the poorest countries in the world.

The tassels are to be burnt early today in a huge bonfire lit by the British-educated King. The event, which is closed to outsiders, is accompanied by singing and dancing. Most of the girls arrived at the weekend on lorries and buses provided by the Royal Palace. They have since enjoyed a carnival-type atmosphere, sleeping in schools and offices hastily converted into dormitories, surrounded by food stalls. Most will stay on to take part in the annual reed dance next weekend where in their hundreds they dance bare chested for his majesty — the last absolute monarch in Africa.

No official reason has been given for the premature ending of the ban, but many say that the King’s motives are less than honourable. Cynics say that the King, 37, wanted the girls to be free of any irritating commitments before the dance, at which he is expected to choose a new wife — his 13th.

In 2001, shortly after he introduced the sex ban, he announced that he would lead from the front and himself abstain from sexual intercourse.

Two days later, he admitted that he had broken his vow and fined himself one cow. He then took a 17-year-old as his ninth wife. Several “virgins” at the Umcwasho ceremony were less than vocal about their years of chastity.

“About ten girls in my village failed [the virginity test], but people only know about the ones who became pregnant, so it is OK,” Trusty Tsela, 19, from the village of Ebhawini, said.

These girls are called Tindvuna — “those who fall by the wayside”. In keeping with a relaxed attitude towards the ban, they were told by palace officials that they would be able to take part in the ceremony and the reed dance but might have to pay a fine.

A local chief said: “The whole thing has been a bit confusing. I had hoped we would only have to bring eight cows, but it is apparently a bit more than that. It seems people do not quite understand what has been going on.”

The sex ban was unpopular with the country’s youth. Some girls wore the tassels only because school heads would not grant them admission if they did not. Vusie Malambe, a football coach in his early twenties, said: “Girls took them on and off like their other clothes. Most of these girls here are no more a virgin than I am.”

Many outsiders expect the ban to be reimposed after the reed dance. On Sunday, the King’s mother — known as the Great She Elephant — warned the country’s youth not to take advantage of the new freedom and be irresponsible.

“HIV-Aids kills. It can end your future,” she said in a speech to mark the National Youth Awards.

The lavish lifestyle of the King has outraged Aids activists in a country where few can afford even basic medical care.

Each of his wives receives her own new palace and a car, while most Swazis live off less than 55p a day. Despite all that, the King remains popular with his country’s deeply traditional people.

REIGN OF PLENTY

A friend of the singer Michael Jackson, Mswati has turned the royal palace into a disco venue, starring as resident DJ

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?