South Africa LGBTIQ+ Rights Watch: February 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 incidents of 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 February 2025:
President Ramaphosa Affirmed LGBTIQ+ Rights in State of the Nation Address
In his State of the Nation Address on 6 February 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to equality, including LGBTIQ+ rights. Speaking at Cape Town City Hall, he stressed the importance of staying true to the country’s values in an increasingly uncertain world. Ramaphosa condemned global trends threatening human rights and the erosion of international cooperation. Advocacy group Iranti welcomed his remarks, highlighting their significance in the face of a global rollback on LGBTIQ+ rights. The organisation called on the president to back his words with concrete actions to improve the lives of LGBTIQ+ South Africans.
South African Launched Campaign Against Trans CrossFit Games Exclusion
South African CrossFit enthusiast Brent Janse van Vuuren led opposition to a controversial CrossFit Games Gender Classification Policy that effectively excluded transgender participants from competing according to their gender identity. Previously, CrossFit had allowed trans athletes to participate based on their affirmed gender, but the new policy required competitors to compete under their gender assigned at birth. Janse van Vuuren, a trans man from Cape Town, criticised the policy as undignified and warned it would foster a toxic culture of gender policing. He launched a petition urging CrossFit to reconsider the decision.
Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Left South Africa’s LGBTIQ Community in Crisis
US President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing foreign aid in January 2025 had a devastating impact on South Africa’s LGBTIQ+ community. Clinics like WITS RHI which offered HIV and gender-affirming care, were forced to close, leaving many without medication. Trans individuals face limited options, with South Africa’s under-resourced and often discriminatory public healthcare system failing to meet their needs. Other health services to the LGBTIQ+ community were also closed, including the Ivan Toms clinic in Cape Town, and the Engage Men’s Health programme in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City. The funding cuts not only affect health care delivery but have a broader impact: the projects also often provided hate crime and GBV monitoring and support, safe spaces, community building and mental health counselling to members of the LGBTIQ+ community.
Muhsin Hendricks, “World’s First Gay Imam,” Assassinated in Gqeberha
South Africa’s LGBTIQ+ community was left in shock following the assassination of Cape Town’s Muhsin Hendricks, known as the world’s first openly gay imam, in what appeared to be a targeted killing. Hendricks, 58, was fatally shot while seated in a vehicle in Bethelsdorp, Gqeberha on 15 February. Security footage showed armed assailants ambushing his car and firing multiple shots before fleeing the scene. While authorities have not confirmed a motive, many suspected it to be a religiously motivated hate crime, as Hendricks had long faced death threats for his queer-affirming interpretation of Islam. His murder sparked an outpouring of grief and condemnation from the LGBTIQ+ community, while some conservative voices disturbingly celebrated his death. The Centre for Contemporary Islam at the University of Cape Town denounced these reactions, highlighting the deep-seated homophobia within faith communities.
Justice Delayed: Johannesburg Grindr Gang Trial Postponed
The long-awaited trial of seven alleged members of Johannesburg’s so-called Grindr gang was postponed, frustrating activists and delaying justice for the victim. The accused face charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and extortion after allegedly luring an 18-year-old Wits University student through Grindr, brutally assaulting him, and demanding a ransom from his family in September 2023. The trial, set to begin on 24 February 2025, was delayed due to the absence of a defence lawyer, who had also failed to consult with three of the accused. LGBTIQ+ organisations condemned the postponement as yet another example of the justice system failing queer victims.
Trans Woman Stood Her Ground in Stadium Bathroom Incident in Cape Town
Taswald Ruiters, a transgender woman from Cape Town, stood her ground after facing discrimination at Green Point Athletic Stadium. While attending a school athletics event on 19 February 2025, a security official told her she could not use the women’s bathroom and threatened to have her removed. When she confronted him, he mocked her gender identity and insisted she use the men’s restroom. Despite calling the police four times, they failed to respond. Ruiters later posted videos of the incident online, leading to death threats, but she remained resolute in advocating for trans rights. Gender Dynamix’s Executive Director, Liberty Matthyse, condemned the discrimination, emphasising South Africa’s constitutional protections and the need for accountability.
- 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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