Victims of Deadly Hate Crimes Honoured at Johannesburg Pride

The 13 known LGBTIQ+ victims of suspected hate crimes in South Africa were honoured at Saturday’s Johannesburg Pride March.

The 35th Johannesburg Pride was an impressive edition with a massive turnout, but it showed little sign of its activist and protest roots, favouring socialising, rainbow colours, and bold fashion statements.

While LGBTIQ+ visibility and queer joy are in themselves a powerful tool for advocacy and change, the march offered little acknowledgment that LGBTIQ+ lives continue to be lost to hate.

However, one organisation, OUT LGBT Well-being, used the parade as a platform to remember those LGBTIQ+ individuals who were brutally murdered this year.

It created a series of placards, each honouring a victim. Boldly displayed during the march, the posters featured each victim’s photo, name, age, and details of their death.

“While many people attend Johannesburg Pride to celebrate LGBTIQ+ inclusion and freedoms, we wanted to add a sobering reminder that LGBTIQ+ individuals continue to be targeted because of who they love or how they identify,” said Sibonelo Ncanana, OUT’s Civil Society Engagement Officer.

The pink “We Remember” placards were highly visible at the front of the march through Sandton’s streets and were also dispersed throughout the procession, making a powerful impact on participants, onlookers, and members of the media.

The posters will be displayed at other upcoming LGBTIQ+ events, including the planned Eastern Cape Provincial Pride. The campaign will also continue online, with weekly tributes to each victim shared on OUT’s social media platforms.

“LGBTIQ+ South Africans in rural or less developed areas are especially vulnerable to hate crimes. We wanted to remind the public that each victim was a person with a life, friends, family, and loved ones. They should not be forgotten amidst the rainbow flags, extravagant outfits, and party atmosphere of Pride,” Ncanana added.

The following LGBTIQ+ individuals were murdered in South Africa in 2024. We remember their names:

• 14 September 2024: Queer couple Siyasanga Mabulu, 39, and Abongile Mani, 23, were shot and killed at a tavern in Khayamnandi, Gqeberha, by a group of men. It appears no one else was targeted in the shooting. Siyasanga was a beloved local soccer coach.
• 7 September 2024: The decomposing body of 50-year-old Lazarus Ikaneng Thomas, affectionately known as “Pankie,” was discovered in his locked shack in Galeshewe township, Kimberley, with signs that he may have been strangled. He was last seen alive two weeks earlier.
• 1 September 2024: Sipho Mahlinza, 27, was with his partner in his car in Kwazakhele, Gqeberha, when they were confronted by a group of men who demanded a lift. When Sipho refused, the men reportedly used anti-gay slurs before shooting him. Sipho died in his partner’s arms.
• 1 September 2024: The body of Nokuthula Veronica Bottoman, a 35-year-old lesbian, was found in KwaNobuhle township, Kariega, with stab wounds. Reports indicate she may also have been raped. Her family only learned of her death through a social media post.
• 27 August 2024: Lesbian couple Nombulelo Bhixa, 28, and Minenhle Ngcobo, 22, were allegedly shot in the head by Ngcobo’s jealous ex-boyfriend in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg.
• 18 August 2024: Xolani Xaka, a 32-year-old gay man from Zwide, Gqeberha, was fatally stabbed outside his home by unknown assailants. Xolani was a client of OUT’s Engage Men’s Health project, which provides sexual health services to men who have sex with men (MSM).
• 10 August 2024: Clement Hadebe, a 22-year-old transgender woman, was shot dead in Johannesburg while walking home after a night out with friends. Her murder sparked a wave of victim-blaming on social media.
• 17 June 2024: Neliseka “Nelly” Xeke, a 28-year-old lesbian, was found with severe wounds near a tavern in Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay. She was reportedly killed after intervening in a domestic dispute.
• 1 June 2024: Karabelo Pudumo, an 18-year-old transgender high school student from the Northern Cape, was stabbed over 20 times in a suspected hate crime in Kimberley.
• 14 May 2024: Jo-Ann Isaks, a 27-year-old transgender woman, was found by a family member in a burning room in Paballelo, Upington, with multiple stab wounds.
• 3 February 2024: Diego Jacobs, 21, a gay man, was stabbed to death while walking home with friends in Delft, Cape Town. His alleged killer had reportedly harassed him previously due to his queer identity.