South Africa LGBTIQ+ Rights Watch: October 2025
MambaOnline publishes a monthly overview of reported LGBTIQ+ rights violations in South Africa, including hate speech, hate crimes and other incidents of discrimination.
We also look at the status of cases making their way through the criminal justice system and related human rights developments.
Here is our summary for October 2025.
Another Gay Man Falls Victim to Grindr Gang Attack
A Johannesburg gay man reported that he was targeted and extorted in a Grindr-related attack, adding to the ongoing trend of “Grindr Gang” crimes against queer men across South Africa. After arranging a hook-up through the app, he was confronted by two individuals who misrepresented themselves, behaved suspiciously, and then falsely accused him of refusing to pay one of them for sex. The pair blocked him from leaving, filmed him in an attempt to frame him as the aggressor, and coerced him into handing over cash before he managed to force them out of the apartment. The incident left him fearful, shaken, and distrustful. His experience highlighted the continued targeting, extortion, and intimidation of queer men through dating apps.
Ngizwe Mchunu Sparks National Hate Speech Firestorm
Former radio host Ngizwe Mchunu sparked nationwide outrage after posting viral Facebook videos in which he declared his hatred for the LGBTIQ+ community, used demeaning language toward queer individuals, and targeted same-sex newlyweds whose traditional wedding photos had circulated online. His attacks centred on the right of LGBTIQ+ people to express their African culture. Mchunu escalated his rhetoric by leading a group of armed men to Kwa Mai Mai in Johannesburg on 5 October, where police and venue management prevented what could have become a violent confrontation. On 21 October, the Gauteng High Court sitting as the Equality Court issued an urgent interim order barring him from organising or participating in any demonstrations promoting anti-LGBTIQ+ discrimination and compelling both him and Meta to remove all offending content. The case — brought by TransHope and the Hate Crimes Working Group — is ongoing.
Second NWU LGBTIQ+ Pride Mural Defaced
The North-West University (NWU) saw a second act of anti-LGBTIQ+ vandalism in one month when the Pride mural at its Mahikeng campus was defaced with a homophobic message, echoing a similar incident at the Potchefstroom campus weeks earlier. The incidents left students vulnerable and unsafe. Despite student protests and the university’s condemnation and promises to investigate the cases, no perpetrators have yet been identified or held accountable. The incidents highlighted a pattern of hostility toward queer students and raised concerns about deeper systemic failures at NWU, especially in light of a recent Commission for Gender Equality report revealing widespread institutional shortcomings in protecting vulnerable groups on campuses.
Queer Gauteng Pupils Claim Matric Dance Discrimination
Several queer matric pupils at Hugenote High School in Springs reported that they faced discrimination because of their sexual orientation, including claims that the school prohibited same-sex partners from attending the matric dance and used religious justifications to enforce discriminatory policies. Pupils also alleged intimidation after speaking out, with one student leaving the school, and another claiming that a teacher had been dismissed earlier in the year because he is married to a man. Although the school’s principal denied that any learners were barred from bringing same-sex partners and attributed concerns to a “misinterpretation,” the school declined to provide evidence supporting its claims or to address the broader allegations. The Gauteng Department of Education confirmed that it had launched an investigation into the reported dismissal of the teacher but stopped short of condemning discrimination against same-sex couples at school events.
Cape Town Anti-LGBTIQ+ Politician Attacks Queer People as “Paedophiles”
In Cape Town, politician Mehmet Vefa Dag escalated his pattern of anti-LGBTIQ+ hate speech by describing queer people as “paedophiles” in a social media post attacking the city’s successful WorldPride 2028 bid and warning that “3 million sex predators” would descend on the city. His remarks, which echoed dangerous tropes used to incite fear and hostility toward queer communities, prompted Cape Town Pride to initiate action through the Equality Court. Dag, who leads the fringe Truth and Solidarity Movement Party, has a history of homophobic harassment, including threats to vandalise a rainbow crossing, slurs against LGBTIQ+ people, and online attacks on queer-affirming institutions.
Deepening Health Crisis for LGBTIQ+ People in Gauteng Clinics
A new Ritshidze State of Health Report revealed a deepening crisis in Gauteng’s public healthcare system, where LGBTIQ+ people, trans and gender-diverse individuals, sex workers, and people who use drugs faced growing discrimination, denial of services, and dangerously long delays in care following major PEPFAR funding cuts. Between April and June 2025, users across 81 facilities reported severe staff shortages, unmanageably long queues, and hostility from clinic workers—leading to treatment interruptions that put lives at risk. Key populations described being mocked, outed, refused services, or verbally abused, with trans people reporting the highest rates of denial of care.
Have you experienced or witnessed an LGBTIQ+ rights violation such as a hate crime, hate speech or any other kind of LGBTIQ+ discrimination in South Africa? If you’d like to bring it to the attention of the LGBTIQ+ community, email info@mambaonline.com. We will refer survivors to community groups that can provide support.
Leave a Reply