In light of the murder of Lesley Makousa, Thabiso Mogapi wa Tsotetsi, chairperson of Action For Social Justice International says Lesley was part of the LGBTI (lesbian women, gay men, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community.
He condemned the incident and says there has recently been a sharp rise in the incidence of death and violence perpetrated against the LGBTI community in South Africa.
“It was exactly two years ago that the body of Disebo Gift Makau was found in Tshing, Ventersdorp. Two years later, the same incident repeats itself with a similar occurrence of “shoelace strangling” in the case of Lesley Makousa in Promosa,” he said.
Thabiso says prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identity causes harm and unhappiness. “This is true, especially when people have to face bullies or people who discriminate due to their own ignorance about sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBTI people are often stigmatised as a result of their perceived gender deviance. This often results in them being the target of violence (sexual and other),” he said.
Thabiso sent condolences to the Makousa family and called on the community to stand together against this crime.
“May the precious soul of Lesley rest in peace. We are calling upon all communities, learning institutions, different government departments, partners, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations etc. to stand together in the fight against all these social ills within our community,” he said.
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