ELECTION DEBATE REVEALS PARTY STANCES ON HOMOSEXUALITY

By Mongezi Mhlongo (BTM Reporter) and Lesego Tlhwale (BTM Intern)

SOUTH AFRICA – 06 April 2009: Major South African political parties declared their stern opposition against gender based violence purported against lesbians, in a heated debate on 2 April, at Ikhaya Lethemba Victim Empowerment Centre in Johannesburg.

Organised by Women’s Net, Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre and WITS Department of Political Studies, the discussion aimed to create a platform for major political parties to voice their position and response to escalating incidents of violence against women.   

The seminar was attended by various representatives from major political parties who made significant points regarding sexual violence against lesbians and women in general.

Representing Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Sibongile Nkomo, said her party is aware of the sporadic killings of lesbians. She however failed to say what the IFP plans to do about these killings.

“The IFP is aware that two lesbians from Soweto were killed, and it breaks our heart”

Nkomo also urged the LGBTI community to hold the party accountable on such issues and pledged that the IFP will protect those subjected to sexual abuse.

“We will protect victims of sexual violence” she said.

As South Africa is gearing for the fourth democratic elections, the contentious question within the LGBTI community is the stance of political parties on gay related issues.

Even though she affirmed that her party believes in Christianity, Louwretta Jacobs of the Freedom Front Plus (FFP) said that it is still willing to engage with anyone regardless of sexual orientation 

“We can work with them, whether they are gay or straight”, she said.

The African National Congress (ANC) represented by Edna Molewa, echoed the same sentiments, further highlighting that the party’s policies such as the Civil Union Act, among others, are inclusive of gay rights.

“The fact that these rights are in our policies of the ANC is a clear indication that the party acknowledges them. Let us allow anyone who is lesbian or gay to practice their right”, Molewa said.

She also noted that South Africa is still dominated by patriarchy and that there is an urgent need to eradicate this problem.

“We acknowledge that in South Africa, we still have a patriarchal society, and there is a need to fight patriarchy like we fought Apartheid.”

Concurring, President of Women Forward (WF), Nana Ngobese added “we need to create a safe environment, to ensure that we fight patriarchy together.”

According to Lisa Vetten of Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre, this seminar was prompted by the fact that most political party manifestos did not address violence against women as a specific concern.

“Our review of party manifestos found that few parties addressed violence against women as specific concern. When they did note it, their solutions tended to focus almost purely on criminal justice system responses. No party addresses the particular forms of violence experienced by marginalized groups of women such as sex workers or lesbians”, Vetten said.