Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) community say not much is being done to prevent hate crimes.
This as South Africa marks the 25th anniversary since former president Nelson Mandela signed the country’s Constitution into law.
The community is calling for the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill to be signed into law.
Director of the KwaZulu-Natal(KZN) LGBT Recreation organisation, Hlengiwe Buthelezi says it is sad to note that 25 years on, these people continue to face widespread discrimination.
“It’s either they use culture or they use religion. Practically, a gay nation [does] not enjoy these rights that are enshrined in the constitution. As you see we are being killed, we are being bashed. Durban is called a pink spot because out of the nine provinces, KZN and Durban to be specific, has a high number [of hate crimes]. From February 20 this year, we’ve counted over 12 bodies, queer bodies that have been killed to hate crime,” explains Buthelezi.
LGBTQI+ organisations call on government to implement Hate Crimes Bill:
