COALITION OF LESBIAN,GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDERED AND INTERSEX (LGBTI) ORGANISATIONS CALL FOR A STOP TO HATE CRIMES AND DEMAND THE GOVERNMENTS FULL ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE

The recent reports on the killing and rape cases of lesbian women show that the numbers are not going down but actually increasing. Not long ago Noxolo Nogwaza a lesbian was found murdered and smashed in KwaThema, her body was dumped in the veld after she was raped. As if this was not enough as subsequent to that more other cases were reported in different areas in Attridgeville and uMlazi in Kwa Zulu Natal and many more that are not reported.

The community welcomes the intervention of the Minister of Justice however we feel that there is more that has to be/ and can be done to deal with the matter. It has been reiterated in a number of instances that all cases of this nature are dealt with swiftly ensuring that justice for the survivors and the victims is carried out. The motives for these crimes also need to be exposed as this would allow the police, the courts and communities in general to respond to hate crimes in an effective manner.

In order to effectively deal with that the government has to display a political will to develop a hate crime legislation which will begin to direct all stakeholders within the criminal justice system to handle these cases appropriately.
The lack of political will from the state is evident in the way in which the urgency of this matter is perceived. It is so unfortunate that it takes our government to come up with and adequately implement this legislation that will begin to save lives while it was very spontaneous for the floor crossing legislation to be put in place. The LGBTI urges the government to take the matter serious and with the sense of urgency.

The LBGTI community also calls the government to look at the issue of police, medical professionals, and court personnel’s inability or lack of interest in dealing with cases of this nature. More importantly the inadequacy of dealing with these cases is a further burden to survivors, their families and communities at large Most of the times, perpetrators are just not apprehended but continue to pose a threat to communities and a greater sense of fear within the LGBTI community
The LGBTI community would like to continue to register its anger and frustrations against these incidents.

On the 21st May a meeting was convened where members of the community came together and agreed that the struggle against hate crimes need to be taken to another level. It is on that note the day of the 7th of July this year was set aside as a beginning of a focused process of demonstrating this anger. On this day pickets at different police stations will be staged. This day is particularly chosen precisely because there are two lesbian women who were raped and murdered in Soweto. Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Masooa were brutally murdered on the 07/07/07 and today no one has been apprehended and the case has not been to court as the police stated that the main suspect committed suicide and the case has been submitted to the enquiry court.

In 2008, a rape and murder case of the Banyana Banyana player Eudy Simelane was heard in court and the murderer was sentenced. The proceedings of that particular case clearly demonstrated the need for the government to educate its employees that are supposed to be enforcing the law in line with the country’s constitution regardless of their beliefs and preferences
The pickets will take place on the 7th July and in August a BIG MARCH which will not only comprise of the LGBTI organisation but also the broader civil society organisations who support the call against hate crimes. The campaign will be carried through to the community Prides that always take place annually in KwaThema ad Soweto. This struggle will be taken forward and reach its momentum as the members of the community will engage in different actions that will draw the attention of the powers that be in dealing with the matter.

Information on the pickets:
Date: 7th July 2011
Time: 10am -12pm
The following are the details of the areas where the picket will be staged together with the contact details of the convenors:

Alexandra: Maureen - 083 3176 253, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Katlehong: Deekay- 076 5123 874, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Johannesburg: Kwezilomso- 078 323 9031, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Wits: Noma – 078 323 9031, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Soweto: Virginia-082 082 3059, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Kwathema: Ayanda- 071 617 2215 email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / Ntsupe- 0732263287, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
For more information please

Phindi Malaza
011 333 0345
073 240 6049
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