Concerns about anti-LGBTQ+ hate, discrimination, and failures in institutional responses took centre stage on Wednesday as eThekwini Pride, TransHope and the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) hosted a high-level roundtable and law enforcement engagement at Durban’s Bat Centre.
The event brought together LGBTQ+ activists, community members, representatives from the South African Police Service (SAPS), and officials from the Department of Social Development (DSD) to examine the challenges facing queer South Africans and explore ways to strengthen collaboration between communities and state institutions.
Participants engaged in detailed discussions around three high-profile cases that have sparked concern within LGBTQ+ communities: the assassination of Imam Muhsin Hendricks, the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ remarks made by Ngizwe Mchunu, and the Dawood Lagardien case.
Attendees were divided into groups to analyse the cases, identify systemic shortcomings, and propose practical interventions. A recurring theme throughout the discussions was the perception that queer people continue to feel ignored, marginalised, and inadequately protected when confronted with discrimination and violence.
Thabiso Marillier, Programme Manager at TransHope, said the engagement aimed to create safer spaces for queer people by fostering stronger relationships with law enforcement and other stakeholders.
“We are here today at Bat Centre, partnering with a few other stakeholders, to speak about how we can work with law enforcement to ensure that the queer community is safe within eThekwini and beyond,” Marillier said.
He emphasised the importance of collaboration between LGBTQ+ organisations, noting that partnerships strengthen advocacy efforts and help communities respond more effectively to discrimination.
“Partnering with eThekwini Pride is very important because it helps ensure that our community is united in one space, knowing how to fight for themselves and how to speak up when they face discrimination or victimisation,” he added.
Representing SAPS, Lieutenant Colonel Mandy Chetty from the Employee Health and Wellness Unit highlighted ongoing efforts to improve interactions between police officers and LGBTQ+ people through awareness and sensitivity training.
“We have a priority programme called Dignity, Diversity in Policing, which focuses on creating awareness among SAPS members who engage with the LGBTI community,” Chetty explained.
She said the forum provided an important opportunity for police officials to hear directly from affected communities.
“This forum is important for us because we can hear from the community itself what the challenges are and what SAPS can do when community members come to us for services,” she said. “The one thing we always stress with our members is to treat everybody with dignity and respect.”
For Relebogile Setshedi, Media Advocacy Officer at FEW, the discussion highlighted the growing threat posed by organised anti-rights movements and the need for stronger community responses.
“There was a lot of conversation about what we can do as stakeholders and civil society organisations in mitigating the anti-rights movement and leveraging what we can to bridge the gap,” Setshedi said.
She explained that one of the key objectives of the engagement was to help participants better understand anti-gender and anti-rights movements and how they operate within communities.
“The aim was to spread knowledge about what the anti-gender movement is, capacitate people to identify anti-rights actors in their communities, and work to mitigate the erasure of queer people,” she said.
The roundtable concluded with calls for continued engagement between LGBTQ+ organisations, government departments, and law enforcement agencies. Participants stressed that addressing discrimination, hate speech, and violence against queer people requires coordinated action, accountability, and meaningful inclusion.
While the cases discussed highlighted ongoing challenges, the event also demonstrated a shared commitment among stakeholders to build safer, more responsive environments for LGBTQ+ South Africans.
