HATE CRIME TASK TEAM TURNS 2 WITH NO RESULTS
On the second anniversary of its much-hyped formation, activists are demanding that the government-led LGBTI hate crimes task team actually does something.
In May 2011, following growing outrage over a wave of rapes and murders of lesbian and gay people in South Africa, officials from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development announced the creation of a special hate crimes task team.
This “historic” entity was to consist of government departments, independent bodies and civil society groups and was to address homophobic and transphobic violence.
Technically the “Gender and Sexual Orientation based Violence Task Team,” it has to date failed to produce any significant results.
Some activists previously labelled the team as a government public relations exercise meant to avoid international embarrassment on the issue.
Since its formation, the team has spent years wrangling over its ‘terms of reference’, which are meant to define its role. Sources told Mambaonline that these have still not been formalised or signed.
Last year July, the Department of Justice told Mambaonline that while it previously had little capacity, funds had been set aside to employ staff for the task team and that the recruitment process had been initiated.
While a project manager and a project officer were meant to be employed, it remains unclear if this ever happened. Activists from NGOs who are meant to work with the task team told Mambaonline this week that they have yet to meet these officials and don’t even know if they exist.
Now a group of Cape Town based activists, consisting of the Gay Flag of South Africa, Funeka Soldaat of Free Gender (a lesbian ‘corrective’ rape NPO) and Laurie Gaum (an LGBTI spiritual leader), says it has had enough.
The activists point out that the task team has never released a statement on any major LGBTI issue, homophobic attack, rape or murder; has never published a public progress or status report since its formation; and has never attended any LGBTI protests, hate crime court cases or pride events.
They have created a petition that demands that the task team set up channels of communication to LGBTI South Africans and that it publish points of access for victims of homophobic violence.
They activists have also insisted that the team publish reports on its progress and actions taken and, as originally promised, collect information on issues and incidents from LGBTI communities for it to take action on.
The petition can be found here.
Mambaonline has learned that another group of LGBTI community groups and NGOs are writing to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development today requesting that it provide information on the status of the task team.
Another example of a “Government run” failure- useless idiots! My heart goes out to all those who are affected and thanks to the guys who put the pressure on these dumb idiots!
Chad. The Task Team consists of clusters of government and civil society groups. It is thus not just government but also civil society (non-government members) who have failed us more than government, actually. They will now suddenly start scrambling to provide answers but it is too late. Where were they when we protested in four cities? (Traditionalists trying to amend our rights). Where were they when more (lgbti) murders spiked? Never a comment. never a single action. Today we got a call from a mother – her son (a Muslim out gay) was beaten up badly on his way out to buy her a mothers day gift. Just one example of cases that should have been guided by the task team – the man on the street has no idea how to access this team for urgent help. The government have us an amazing opportunity here and partnered with civil society who were supposed to be our watchdogs and communication channel….
Thanks Henry- interesting read as well as shocking!!! My thoughts are will all…
Thanks so much Chad. The mother of a young gay Muslim guy who was beaten up because of his sexuality is asking us for help. We get hundreds of these calls but it should be guided by the task team. Just one example. Please share the petition with your friends and thanks so much for the support.
This must be stopped immediatley!
Interesting turn of events. When I tired to expose the dysfunctional task team last year the “Gay Flag” boys and their buddies called me a liar and said I was just trying to stir… Mostly because their friends, including one Ms Melanie Nathan, were part of setting up this mess of a task team. Now they change their tune after being a part of slandering several members of the community. I wonder if anyone will ever get an apology.
Lance at that time your approach was totally inappropriate and you know that. You were slapped on the knuckles by the DOJ – not us or civil society. If you are feeling sorry for yourself call Jeff Radebe yourself. Rather now focus on the issues in this article as opposed to trying to turn the attention to yourself.
Henry, please provide any evidence for this “slap on the wrist” statement? A deputy DG attempted to threaten me in an email – which you chose to interpret as fact. They have since run with their tails between their legs after they were forced to answer all my questions in the national assembly thanks to a parliamentary written question. The only this that hasn’t been established is whether the team was going to be disbanded or not – my insider is convinced that this was the case until they were forced to cover their tracks in parliament.
Lol. Now that’s telling these attention seekers. Well done Lance!
Why the animosity Lance.
You know I have reached out to you numerous times to collaborate.
Henry is right… your actions at the time were misguided and the DOJ actually responded to all of us you e-mailed in your circular to the DOJ that:
– You recklessly spoke on behalf of the Minster of Justice, stating untruths.
– You wrongfully stated that the task team was going to be disbanded
– You wrongfully stated that a new task team was going to be instated.
You have my contact details – TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE MORE!
There is no attack ? in fact you and Ms Nathan attacked and slandered myself and others. You chose to ignore cold hard facts as Melanie was hell-bent on maintaining that the task team she helped set up was no in a total shambles ? It was a purely personal matter with no interest to ?the community? whatsoever.
I have no interest in collaborating with a group such as yours that has been exposed as being nothing but bald faced liars and charlatans ? I note the expose on GFSA in the last Out magazine as one example.
If you had any interest in helping the LGBTI community of SA you would have listened to the cold hard facts ? admitted by the Minister of Justice in Parliament after I pushed for written questions to be posed to him.
I also note that no retraction or apology was ever forthcoming. We are make errors, but when we do we should admit them…
This will be my last comment on the matter. I refuse to waste time engaging with you further.
Lance you were actually exposed as a chancer and investigated from what I remember…..we are pleased that you are no longer involved in this matter. Go and find a platform somewhere else and stop reading and believing tabloid lies about us. Our community work and endorsements at high level speaks for itself and we just laugh off the sensationalists. Now enough about you. Back to the original issue…
That’s a lie Flag boy and the community knows it – we trust Lance and not you lot. You were exposed, not the other way around. We are not blind. Misleading the LGBTs with your ‘national flag registration” nonsense which is pure BS
Dis wonderlike werk wat julle doen. Hope everyone knows who Funeka Soldaat is – she is one of SA’s most important black lesbian activists who is also (as in Mamba’s article) part of this gay flags group to make this task team work.
A wise American man (during the Bush Administration) once told me “you get what you vote for”. I also regret reading the comments below… Fuck! Talk about Gays of Our Lives! Think on this… after going through ur verbal sparring have you positively or negatively influenced those u seek to inspire?