Up-and-coming reggae musician Rabelani Ramali never tires of coming up with innovative ideas. He is a jack-of-all-trades who also masters them all.

The 29-year-old Ramali of Phiphidi managed to release two albums which catapulted him to instant stardom in a short space of time. He uses his music to educate the nation about social ills.

With the help of a few other people, he recently created the South African Virgin Girls Awards, which aim to encourage many South African girls to remain virgins until they get married. The organization, with its head offices in Giyani, aims to embark on a countrywide awareness campaign during which they will visit all nine provinces.

“We have come to realize that the scourge of young girls' being deflowered and losing their virginity before marriage has become fashionable in South Africa. This has had negative repercussions as most of those losing their virginity also contract dreaded sexual diseases such as HIV/Aids, while some fall pregnant and have to leave school prematurely. We felt that this could be reduced and done away with by empowering young girls through motivational talks and awareness,” said Ramali.

He said the organization sought to promote education and skills development among the girls to make them self-sufficient and not dependent on others - a situation that makes them vulnerable to abuse. “Our organization will also be an information hub where the girls will be provided with information on HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted diseases.We will also provide counselling on general issues concerning the youth, and to cap it all, we will give lucrative prizes to girls who reach the age of 21 who are still virgins,” said Ramali.

The national awards will take place on 27 September 2014 at a venue still to be announced. For more information, Ramali can be phoned at 076 122 2333.