Hate Crimes Against Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community in South Africa

This statement by the Youth Policy Committee Gender Working Group of the South African Institute of International Affairs highlights the disparity between South Africa's progressive constitutional protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals and the lived reality of hate crimes, discrimination, and systemic violence they face.

• Despite being the first country to constitutionally protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation and the fifth to legalise same sex marriages, South Africa exhibits a significant gap between legal protections and the lived experiences of queer individuals. This is evidenced by the failure to protect the lives of individuals such as Siphamandla Khoza, Andile ‘Lulu’ Nthuthela, Nathaniel “Spokgoane” Mbele, and Lonwabo ‘Jack’. Additionally, a 2016 report indicated that only 28.6% of Home Affairs branches had marriage officers willing to marry same sex couples.
• Faith-based institutions are identified as entities that can perpetuate hate crimes. Some religious leaders have advocated for violence; for example, Pastor Oscar Bougardt reportedly celebrated the killing of ten people by ISIS and called for ISIS to "rid South Africa of the homosexual curse". While some institutions justify transphobia and homophobia through claims of religious freedom, some sangomas (spiritual guides) are actively opposing queer killings.
• Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people, particularly black-femme bodies, has measurable negative economic impacts in South Africa. Research by Shepherd et al. estimated the combined economic cost of wage differentials and underemployment for queer people at R4.2 billion, consisting of over R2.5 billion from wage differences and R1.7 billion from unemployment.
• The Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill, introduced on 30 May 2018 to address racism, sexism, and homophobia, has not yet been passed. Civil society organizations, including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of South Africa (GLASA), CIVICUS, and the Hate Crimes Working Group, are calling for the government to fast-track this legislation and invest in gender sensitisation workshops for rural communities.
• The document details a pattern of extreme violence against the LGBTQIA+ community, including the 2011 gang-rape and murder of activist Noxolo Nogwaza in an act of 'corrective rape', the rape and murder of Nonhlanhla Kunene in the Edendale township of KwaZulu-Natal, and the physical harm and school exclusion of Simphiwe Mkhize in Tongaat.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). Hate Crimes Against Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community in South Africa. https://saiia.org.za/youth-blogs/hate-crimes-against-members-of-the-lgbtqia-community-in-south-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Hate Crimes Against Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community in South Africa. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/youth-blogs/hate-crimes-against-members-of-the-lgbtqia-community-in-south-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Hate Crimes Against Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community in South Africa |date=2 August 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/youth-blogs/hate-crimes-against-members-of-the-lgbtqia-community-in-south-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021hate, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Hate Crimes Against Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community in South Africa}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/youth-blogs/hate-crimes-against-members-of-the-lgbtqia-community-in-south-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }