South Africa: "Is there another word that you can use instead of lesbian?"

Source: Africa is a country

That’s the Judge, Ratha Mokgoathleng, unable to contain his homophobia, speaking earlier to the prosecutor in the case of the murderers of Eudy Simelane, a lesbian woman brutally raped and murdered in a township outside Johannesburg, as reported by “The New York Times.” Yesterday one of the killers was jailed for life.

In March, a new study by anti-poverty group Action Aid warned that South African lesbians were suffering rapes by men trying to “cure” their homosexuality. South Africa is one of the world’s most violent societies with fresh crime statistics released on Tuesday showing a rise of sexual offences by 10.4 percent with 27,750 rapes committed in six months.

To contextualize the outcome of the case, my friend, Dan Moshenberg, forwarded me links to the case.

The facts according to Johannesburg’s “Mail and Guardian“:

“A man was jailed for life on Tuesday for the murder and gang rape of Eudy Simelane, a lesbian South African international footballer. Themba Mvubu (24) from KwaThema, was found guilty of murdering, robbing and being an accessory to the rape of 31-year-old Eudy Simelane. Activists at the magistrate’s court in Delmas, Mpumalanga, hailed the judgement as “extremely important” in drawing attention to cases of murder and so-called “corrective rape” against lesbians in South Africa. Simelane was one of the first women to live openly as a lesbian in KwaThema township, near Johannesburg. A keen footballer since childhood, she played for the South African women’s team and worked as a coach and referee. She hoped to serve as a line official in the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. But in April last year she was accosted while leaving a pub and robbed of her cellphone, trainers and cash. She died from wounds to the abdomen after being gang-raped and stabbed 12 times. Her naked body was dragged towards a stream and dumped.”

Writing on the blog BlackLooks, Sokari Ekine, at Black Looks, according to Dan, notes the missing element:

“… In summing up the case the judge only managed to concede that [Eudy Simelane's] fame as a footballer may have contributed to her rape and murder – but still failed to acknowledge her rape and murder as hate crimes. It’s a relief for everyone – family and friends of Eudy to have finally received justice. The campaign around Eudy’s case has been central to raising awarness of hate crimes against lesbians in South Africa and for that we must acknowledge the work of The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project and it’s director, Phumi Mtetwa who worked tirelessly to make sure the case was given the highest possible profile. Recognition must also go to all the friends and supporters who attended the court hearings despite the lack of funds to transport and accommodate them during the endless postponements and delays. I wonder whether people reading about the case realise how difficult and what a strain it has been for everyone involved to keep up the pressure. The battle for this one case, to get justice for Eudy Simelane, has been one but the struggle against hate crimes and for justice in a climate of increased lesbiaphobia and homophobia is only just beginning.”

* The image, above, is unrelated to the case and is from photographer Zanele Muholi’s series “Faces,” images of South African lesbians.