Crosby Jodwana and Sean Nhlapo, the same-sex couple whose wedding sparked the controversy that led to the landmark hate speech ruling against media personality Ngizwe Mchunu, have welcomed the judgment. They have also addressed a separate outstanding criminal case against the divisive cultural leader.
In the 19 June ruling, the Equality Court ordered Mchunu to pay R250,000 for his anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech, in addition to legal costs, to issue a public apology, and undergo mandatory human rights sensitisation training. He was also barred from publishing any further discriminatory online content.
In an exclusive interview with MambaOnline, Jodwana and Nhlapo expressed hope that the judgment will strengthen the separate criminal case they opened against Mchunu with the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“This judgment represents an important step towards justice for all stakeholders involved and gives us, as a married couple, renewed hope that similar outcomes will be realised in the outstanding civil case that we opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS) last year against the same individual and his conduct.”
The couple noted that Mchunu launched his hate speech campaign shortly after online photos of their September 2025 wedding went viral.
“As two proud Zulu and Xhosa gay men, all we wanted was to celebrate our love through a beautiful wedding that honoured our cultures, traditions, and identities, including the attire and customs that formed part of our special day,” they said.
“We never anticipated that our celebration would be met with such hostility and discomfort from an individual, resulting in a public dispute that attracted widespread attention.”
Despite the challenges, Jodwana and Nhlapo said the experience had strengthened their relationship and reaffirmed the support they received from loved ones.
SAPS confirms ongoing case
MambaOnline has confirmed that the separate criminal case laid by Jodwana and Nhlapo against Mchunu remains active.
In response to questions from MambaOnline, the SAPS clarified that the complaint is one of crimen injuria, the unlawful, intentional, and serious impairment of another person’s dignity or privacy.
Police further indicated that they are engaging with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) following the High Court ruling and are in discussions involving Mchunu’s legal representatives regarding the way forward.
“We remain committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that justice is served, accountability is upheld, and the dignity and constitutional rights of all people are protected and respected,” Jodwana and Nhlapo told MambaOnline.
Mchunu rejects hate speech ruling
Meanwhile, Mchunu has publicly rejected the Equality Court judgment, leading to calls for him to be charged with contempt of court for continuing to post materials that directly or indirectly discriminate against LGBTQ+ people or communities.
In a new video shared on social media, he criticised the SAHRC, which was one of the complainants in the case, and dismissed the order compelling him to apologise.
“If the Human Rights Commission says that they are giving me five days to apologise and also receive sensitisation to try to understand the LGBTQ+ community, I can say that the Human Rights Commission is talking trash,” Mchunu said.
The order, however, was not issued by the SAHRC but by the Johannesburg High Court, sitting as the Equality Court.
While insisting that he does not have a problem with gay people, Mchunu maintained that his objections related to the use of traditional attire.
“The main issue here is that they cannot take our traditional attire used for spiritual things and then go kiss each other wearing it,” he said.
Mchunu further argued that the dispute extends beyond him as an individual and concerns the wider Zulu community.
“It is clear as the Zulu nation we are not educated properly as they say, ‘school is important’. Which means this case is not mine, it’s the Zulu kingdom’s case and the whole Zulu nation.”
Explaining why he believes an apology should not come from him personally, Mchunu added: “If they were to get an apology from me, that would mean that I am the owner of the traditional attire, which is not true.”
MambaOnline will continue to follow developments in both the crimen injuria case and any further legal proceedings arising from the matter.
One Comment
Until he understands that we are all human and we have every right to be , every right not to leave in fear and he should be accountable for every lgbtiq plus people who will be violated and unalived God forbid.
The response of people on his statement are scary , what kind of people who will write “ababulawe” yiuu