Soweto Pride marked its 21st anniversary this past weekend, spread over two powerful days of activism and celebration under the theme “Key to Empowerment.”
On Friday, 26 September, the historic Vilakazi Street came alive with the spirit of resistance as hundreds took to the streets for the annual Soweto Pride march. For many, it was a moment to honour the struggles of the past while demanding visibility and dignity for LGBTQ+ communities in the present. (Click to view our exclusive gallery of images of the Pride march.)
An Act of Visibility
Jade Madingwane, Executive Director of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), reminded marchers that Pride is both protest and joy. “Our queer joy is not just frivolous,” they said. “It is resistance, it is healing and it is power… We are saying ‘we are here, and we will always be here’.”
Deputy Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, Steve Letsike, was among the marchers and called for economic justice alongside social equality: “Out of all the issues that we address as queer people, I want us to also secure empowerment, the economic justice for the queer community. There is no justice if we don’t have the economy in our hands.”
The international community also stood in solidarity. Representatives from Colombia, Norway, Germany, and Belgium emphasised that queer rights are human rights. A delegate from Flanders shared: “Pride is not just a parade, it is an act of visibility, a declaration that every person deserves to be free and to love openly.”
Iconic queer activist and filmmaker Bev Ditsie – one of the co-founders of Africa’s first Pride event in 1990, Johannesburg Pride – urged continued resilience: “Only community can save us… We have a constitution to fight for, now is the time to stand up in all our power.”
The march also made space for migrant voices. Ugandan-born activist Mandy Jovial Swali, speaking for The Fruit Basket, affirmed: “Soweto Pride is not just about visibility. It’s about belonging… This home is ours.”
From Protest to Celebration
Saturday, 27 September, shifted gears from protest to celebration as crowds gathered at the Soweto Equestrian Centre to mark Pride’s 21st birthday.
Despite overcast and rainy weather, the grounds were filled with music, dance, and the vibrant energy of queer joy. Community groups, small business owners and LGBTQ+-friendly entrepreneurs showcased their services and products at stalls, reinforcing the Pride theme by turning visibility into empowerment. (Click to view our exclusive gallery of images of the Celebration Day.)
With performers and DJs entertaining the crowd from the stage, the atmosphere was one of joy, community care and solidarity. Families, allies, and friends joined in, dancing and singing late into the afternoon. It was a celebration not only of survival, but of growth, unity, and the power of queer people shaping their own futures.
As Jade Madingwane reminded the community: “This year’s theme, Key to Empowerment, is not just a slogan. It is the gateway we are building towards liberation, inclusion and justice.”
Soweto Pride 2025 showed once again that Pride is more than a parade; it is a living act of memory, resistance, and celebration. Twenty-one years on, its message is clear: queer people belong, queer people are powerful, and queer people will continue to march, resist, and dance for freedom.
