REMEMBERING SIZAKELE AND SALOME

By Lesego Tlhwale (BTM Intern)

SOUTH AFRICA – 09 July 2009: Emotions overwhelmed families of late Soweto lesbians Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Masooa as the 07-07-07 Campaign, led by the Joint Working Group, hosted a commemoration of the second anniversary of their death at Meadowlands yesterday 07 July 2009.

A tree was planted to mark and remember the lives of these two women who were brutally murdered in July 2007, a murder that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activists say was motivated by homophobia.

Unveiling a bench engraved with Sigasa and Masooa’s names Pinky Masooa, mother of Salome said “I have mixed emotions about this commemoration of my daughter’s death, I am happy that the organisations and the LGBTI community took their time to organise this day, but at the same time I am sad that the perpetrators have not yet been arrested”, Mr. Masooa said.

Even though the community of Meadowlands did not well attend the function, LGBTI organizations and individual activists present told a few that attended to stop violence against, particularly black lesbians, because of their sexual orientation.

I am happy to see lesbians coming together to celebrate and remember our fallen sisters, but am also saddened by the fact that our fellow black lesbians are still murdered in their own communities”, said Nancy Castro Deputy Director of Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA) lamented.

“The black community needs to be educated about homosexuality, they need to shift from their cultural believes that lesbian and gays do not exist, they should educate themselves and stop these acts of hatred”, she added.

Castro declared that the color of her skin protects her from hate crimes but said black lesbians suffer more because their own communities are “ignorant” about issues of homosexuality.

Speaking on behalf of the Meadowlands community Morgan Gomati, Councilor of ward 42 said “I am very disappointed by the community of meadowlands for not coming to support this initiative.”

“I would have liked for them to come and receive the message that no one deserves to be killed because of their sexual orientation.”  

Gomati also blamed the police “for not doing their jobs” in making sure that the perpetrators of hate crimes are arrested.

Sigasa and Masooa continue to be remembered as daughters, sisters, friends and fellow activists by those surviving them.