zoliswa's death reaches international borders

BTM Correspondent

February 24, 2006: The death of Zoliswa Nkonyana murdered three weeks ago dismayed the majority of equality movements and all of gay and lesbian activists, even abroad. Many organisations deplored this sinister act, particularly the Triangle Project organisation - which is, in contrary, celebrating 25 years and is the oldest organisation tackling gay issues.

Despite hectoring attack at a Sunday newspaper recently for revealing Nkonyana's friends who could be the next victims if identified by homophobes, Triangle Project however somewhat lauds the measures of exposure by the paper as that deepened the search for the culprits.

Six suspects aged 17 and 19 have been arrested in connection with this violent murder and will appear in court next week. "We congratulate the SAPS on the arrest�" acclaims Glenn de Swardt, health and research manager at Project Triangle.

Swardt also added that there will be some serious protest outside court for government to start taking strides towards such discriminations. He says, "We call on all responsible people, particularly those in leadership positions, to denounce discrimination and violence on the grounds of sexual orientation. We assert that anyone who condones or endorses homo-prejudice, either directly or indirectly, needs to be held accountable."

Zanele Muholi of Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) reacted with great anger at the gruesome incident, and berated some leaders and government, especially the local government for failing to stem out and act upon such hate crimes.

Muholi directs her wrath towards a spate of bombardments experienced by members of gay and lesbian communities. She says each year, "Many women in Johannesburg are raped, beaten, expelled from schools, evicted from their homes or chased from their neighbourhoods because of their sexual preferences."

While there had been four cases of raped lesbians in the townships reported to police in 2004, Muholi is not happy in the way the police handled the cases because the culprits are still at large. She's calling upon all service sectors including police, social work, department of justice and all other related sectors and non-governmental organisations "to address the realities of violence against lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered people in a meaningful, educated, and sincere manner."

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) based in New York, US, was also dealt a blow by the murder. "The international community must be alerted to this pattern of violence against women being abused, beaten and murdered, particularly in the traditional township areas, because they do not conform to prescribed gender norms", stated IGLHRC Executive Director Paula Ettelbrick.

Slain in a mob-style murder in front of her step-father, Nkonyana's murder adds to the many killings of young lesbians in South Africa that FEW has documented, despite the fact that the Constitutional Court has recently recognised gay and lesbian rights.