Photo: Courtney Africa
Lesbians in some Cape Town townships live in such fear of attack by people who reject their sexual orientation that a group who went to a lesbian’s memorial service on Thursday were too afraid to enter Nyanga without an escort.
“We had to go and fetch them. We had to call some and tell them to avoid a few spots. They were really scared of going into the area,” Free Gender founder Funeka Soldaat said as about 100 people gathered in Nyanga for a memorial service for Phumeza Nkolonzi, a 21-year-old lesbian who was shot dead two weeks ago.
Soldaat said at a meeting earlier this week that activists had asked police to patrol the area where Nkolonzi lived and to be visible while her family and friends held the service.
“Lesbians who live in Nyanga are scared of being visible in their area because they fear being killed or raped,” Soldaat said.
The Guardian 