Afrique du Sud : Break the Silence - Say No to Homophobia

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has decided to break its silence and add its lone voice amongst the progressive forces in condemning the brutal rape and stoning to death with bricks of Noxola Nogwaza, KwaThema township, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province.

Nogwaza’s body was found lying in an alley in the township and her head was completely deformed, her eyes out of her sockets, her brain spilt, teeth scattered all around and face smashed beyond recognition. This is the highest form of brutality and barbarism meted on a fellow human being for her sexual orientation and a choice to be in an intimate relationship with a same sex being. No person or human being can be allowed to be inflicted such torture and brutal killing in our society.

We send our heartfelt and deepest condolences to his family and friends. We call on the South African Police Services (SAPS) to work tirelessly in apprehending the culprits of these gruesome and evil acts against a fellow human being by a mob of scavengers that belong in the gallows of shame and life imprisonment. This heinous and dastardly killing of Nogwaza is a reflection of the deep-seated homophobia and intolerance directed towards the gay or lesbian people by some male chauvinists’ remnants in our society post apartheid South Africa.

As Numsa we abhor homophobia with all its manifestations since its against the noble objectives of a non sexist society as envisaged in the Freedom Charter.

We call on the ANC WL to be in the forefront struggles in sharpening the awareness of our people around the rights and gays or lesbians. The front-line role of the ANC WL will go a long way in creating a climax of understanding and acceptance of gay and lesbian’s people as key integral part of our society. The gays and lesbians people have a right to exist and be free in our country without any fear or threats of murder or intimidation. Our continued silence on the rights of gays and lesbians will gradually make South Africa another Zimbabwe or Namibia where gays or lesbians rights are being trampled upon by their governments.

The struggle for a free and democratic South Africa was also about the struggle for free and liberation of gays and lesbians in our country from the bondages of patriarchal domination and suppression.

The attack on lesbians or gays in our country is a hate crime and should be classified as such by our legal system. The people who commit acts such as “corrective rape” and murder of lesbians or gay’s people do so with the full guarantee that they will not be prosecuted by the justice system. The justice system continuously fails the Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered and Bisexual People (LGTBP) community through insensitive law enforcement agencies, repeated postponement of trials and delaying sentencing.

We call on all the progressive forces to be in the forefront of the struggle by breaking their silence on homophobia.

Contact :
Castro Ngobese, National Spokesperson – 073 299 1595