South Africa LGBTIQ+ Rights Watch: January 2025
MambaOnline and OUT Well-being publish a monthly overview of reported LGBTIQ+ rights violations in South Africa, including hate speech, hate crimes and other discrimination.
We also look at the status of cases making their way through the criminal justice system and related human rights developments.
Here is our summary for January 2025:
Alarm After Meta Dropped Anti-LGBTQ Hate Speech Policies
Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, came under fire for rolling back restrictions on hate speech targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, aligning with a growing conservative shift in the US tech sector. LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD condemned the changes, calling them “sweeping and extreme,” warning that they will enable harmful rhetoric against LGBTQ+ people and other marginalised groups. The new policies permit language framing homosexuality as a mental illness and allow slurs previously banned on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, Meta is ending its fact-checking programme in favour of a “community notes” system, which critics argue will further erode protections against misinformation.
Lesbian Teen Brutally Assaulted in Suspected Hate Crime in Joburg’s East Rand
A 14-year-old lesbian teenager was brutally attacked by two boys in Mayfield, Daveyton, in a suspected hate crime, while a bystander filmed the assault instead of intervening. The attack on 20 January, reportedly motivated by the victim’s identity, was widely shared on social media, prompting outrage from activists. The boys were arrested and appeared in court, but their families showed little remorse. The survivor, left with physical injuries and emotional trauma, is receiving support from local LGBTQ+ organisations. Activists condemned the attack as a reflection of deep-rooted homophobia and called for greater awareness and education to combat anti-LGBTQ+ violence in South African communities.
Mabusi Ntuli, Lesbian Spaza Shop Owner and Artist, Gunned Down in KZN
Lesbian spaza shop owner and artist Mabusi Ntuli was brutally shot and killed on her birthday in Illovu township, KwaZulu-Natal, in what appeared to have been a targeted attack. On 29 January, two unknown men, who had earlier purchased liquor from her shop, returned later that night. One opened fire, shooting Mabusi multiple times in the back without warning or provocation. A friend who tried to help her was also injured in the shooting. The motive remains unclear, though some suspect jealousy or anti-LGBTQ+ bias. Mabusi, remembered for her kindness and creativity, was laid to rest on 8 February. Activists have condemned the killing and called for stronger action against hate crimes and gender-based violence in South Africa.
SA and International Groups Condemned US Foreign Aid Halt
The Trump administration’s suspension of US foreign aid sparked widespread condemnation in South Africa and worldwide. The move, part of a 90-day review, halted access to safe and non-stigmatising HIV treatment and prevention services for thousands of LGBTQ+ people. The review aims to identify and target organisations that affirm transgender people as well as projects involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives—just two areas that Trump has repeatedly attacked. The World Health Organization said the move could lead to “rises in new infections and deaths, reversing decades of progress and potentially taking the world back to the 1980s and 1990s.” Iranti, a Johannesburg-based LBTQ+ organisation, said it was devastated by the Trump administration’s actions and feared the impact on key populations such as women and girls, refugees, and LGBTQ+ individuals. It urged the South African government to intervene, while the DA called on US officials to reinstate funding immediately to prevent a health crisis.
Dark Times as MSM and Trans Health Services Shut Down Across South Africa
The sudden suspension of US foreign funding under the Trump administration forced multiple South African clinics providing lifesaving services to MSM and transgender individuals to shut down. The abrupt “stop-work order” issued on 24 January left beneficiaries scrambling for alternative care, with major clinics like Wits RHI’s Trans Health Centres, Anova’s Ivan Toms Centre, and OUT’s Engage Men’s Health ceasing operations indefinitely. The closures sparked outrage, with many fearing stigma and discrimination at public health facilities. The disruption threatens to have long-term, devastating consequences for vulnerable communities relying on these essential services.
- Have you experienced or witnessed an LGBTIQ+ rights violation such as a hate crime, hate speech or any other kind of LGBTIQ+ discrimination in South Africa? If you’d like to bring it to the attention of the LGBTIQ+ community, email info@mambaonline.com.
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