MBOMBELA – Homosexuals are living in fear as they still fall victim to corrective rape.
This was revealed on Saturday when members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) association from all the three districts marched in the second Gay Pride Parade from Alro Park to the Nelspruit Plaza.
The parade was held under the theme “We are everywhere and will be free”.
The parade comes at a time when members of the organisation and community of Game township near Masoyi were left in shock after a 20-year-old lesbian was gang-raped by her male friends.
It’s alleged that the perpetrators who are known by the victim, gave her dagga to make her dizzy so that they could fulfil their sexual desires.
According to the LGBT coordinator, Ms Siphiwe Kunene, the victim doesn’t have courage to open a case against her friends at the police station as they say the police turn them into a laughing stock when they want to open a case.
“There are incidents that occurred this year where we believe that we still have a long way to go in terms of being free and respected in the community.
Another incident is that of a learner from Kamhola Secondary School who was kicked out of school because she was a lesbian who wore trousers.
“The issue of gang-raping of lesbians is rife in our communities. These are issues that need to be addressed because if not addressed, we’re left traumatised and no justice has been done,” said Kunene.
The LGBT submitted a memorandum of grievances to the Kabokweni Police Station in 2013 but their pleas yielded no results.
This publication contacted the spokesperson of the local police, Capt Shelly Ngomane to check why they didn’t respond within the 14 days as had been requested.
“There was a miscommunication between us and LGBT and the change of management also affected the process in terms of giving feedback.
“But let me indicate that we have addressed those challenges that they raised. As much as we respect receiving complaints from the public, we try by all means to equitably attend to all of them. Dissatisfied people are referred to the station commander as that office is always open for the public,” Ngomane said.
“We are not free as we are not only experiencing sexual abuse, we are also called by horrible names in communities to an extent that even pastors find it very hard to accept us when we visit their churches,” added Kunene.
