Editor’s Note: This article by Sikhander Coopoo is published as an opinion piece. Cape Town Pride was offered an opportunity to respond to the questions raised in this article, and its responses have been included.
There is a particular ache that always arrives with Pride. It threads itself between the basslines and the glitter, between a hug from an old comrade and the memory of those who did not live to see this day.
I think of Simon Nkoli, imprisoned for being Black and queer; of the fragile, hard‑won promise of our Constitution; of how global solidarity once held us when the apartheid state tried to crush us.
Then I see the sponsor logos on an Instagram post, and a quieter question surfaces: who makes this celebration possible, and what might that mean?
This piece is not an attempt to condemn specific Pride events. It is an invitation to a conversation our community deserves to have, openly, honestly, and with as much information as possible.
Ubuntu and What It Asks of Us
When Cape Town Pride adopted the 2026 theme Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are, the choice drew on a deeply rooted South African philosophy. Cape Town Pride stated:
We chose the theme after a brainstorming session revealed that 2026 marks the anniversary of two important landmarks in our Constitutional Democracy that directly impacted the LGBTQI+ community…Ubuntu’s core principles revolve around interconnectedness, compassion, and community … ensuring no one is left behind and encouraging focus on larger problems and collaborative approaches.
Ubuntu is more than a slogan. It is a moral philosophy with weight and history. It invites reflection not only from individuals, but from institutions. When a theme carries that meaning, it is reasonable to ask whether the structures around an event, including its funding, reflect those same values. This is not an accusation. It is a question that flows from the theme itself.
Two Prides, Two Responses
Public debate emerged in 2025 around reported sponsorship links between Amazon and Johannesburg Pride. Amazon’s employee network, Glamazon, has also sponsored Cape Town Pride in previous years. Public responses to these relationships have varied.
This raises a broader question: are we consistent in how we engage with institutions that support Pride events? Attention is often uneven, and different communities respond differently. Still, consistency is a useful principle to reflect on.
Following the Money
What follows is a summary of publicly reported information about some sponsors and partners associated with specific Pride events. These are not conclusions, but points of reference drawn from investigative reporting, advocacy materials, and public records. Readers are encouraged to consult the original sources.
- Amazon (through Glamazon) – Investigative reporting has described Amazon Web Services as part of “Project Nimbus,” a cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, alongside Google. Some reports and advocacy groups, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, have raised concerns about how such infrastructure may be used. Amazon disputes certain characterisations of its role.
- Microsoft – A 2025 investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call reported that Microsoft’s Azure platform stored and processed an estimated 200 million hours of communications data from Palestinian civilians, which was then handed to Unit 8200, Israel’s elite signals intelligence unit and cyber warfare division. Microsoft has acknowledged employee activism around these issues and has stated that it operates within applicable legal and ethical frameworks.
- Coca-Cola and related brands – Reporting and advocacy organisations have noted that Coca-Cola’s regional bottling operations include facilities located in disputed areas. The legal and political status of these areas remains contested internationally, including in proceedings referenced by the International Court of Justice. BDS campaigns explicitly name Coca-Cola as boycottable.
- Gilead Sciences – Gilead produces widely used antiretroviral medicines that have had a significant impact on HIV treatment globally. The company also supports LGBTQIA+ initiatives in various countries, including Israel. The question activists raise is whether visibility can be strategically deployed to improve the image of a state engaged in military occupation – a practice commonly called pinkwashing.
- Maersk – Maersk maintains commercial shipping operations globally, including in Israeli ports. While not alleged to have direct military contracts in this context, some observers argue that continued commercial activity during conflict raises ethical questions.
These examples illustrate the complexity of modern corporate activity. They are presented here to inform discussion, not to assert wrongdoing.
Does Cape Town Pride Have an Ethical Sponsorship Policy?
Cape Town Pride was asked what processes guide sponsor selection. Cape Town Pride responded:
Cape Town Pride does not have a formal ethical sponsorship policy… We do check with our board and community informally… We would be open to developing a policy after consulting stakeholders.
The willingness to consider a formal policy may present an opportunity for broader community engagement.
On Neutrality and a Diverse Board
Questions were also posed about political neutrality and institutional relationships, including those involving the Democratic Alliance and the City of Cape Town. The DA voted against cutting diplomatic ties with Israel after October 2023 and opposed South Africa’s ICJ genocide case.
A search for publicly available records relating to a past twinning agreement between Cape Town and the Israeli city of Haifa did not yield conclusive documentation at the time of writing. This may reflect limitations in available records rather than the absence of such an agreement.
Cape Town Pride’s response to these questions reflects the complexity of governing a community organisation with a genuinely diverse board. Cape Town Pride responded:
Our board is diverse… The substantial majority agreed on a position of geopolitical neutrality … Our diversity makes these questions complex.
Neutrality, solidarity, and representation are not simple positions. Different communities and individuals understand them in different ways.
Desmond Tutu’s often-quoted observation – that neutrality in situations of injustice is a choice in favour of the oppressor – is not a comfortable frame to sit in. Neither is the reality that organisations led by people directly affected by injustice deserve the space to navigate it on their own terms. Both things can be true at the same time.
The Pinkwashing Question
The term “pinkwashing” is used in academic and activist contexts to describe situations where LGBTQIA+ inclusion is highlighted alongside other contested practices. Scholars and advocacy organisations have written about this concept, while others dispute its application in specific cases.
Its inclusion here is intended to reflect an ongoing debate, rather than to assign motive or intent to any particular organisation.
The Inheritance We Are Working With
For queer South Africans, questions of solidarity are deeply historical and personal. Our constitutional rights did not come from corporate sponsorship. They came from international solidarity that understood our struggle as linked to others.
In 1997, Nelson Mandela said South Africa’s freedom was incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians. Simon Nkoli refused to separate his Blackness, his queerness, and his politics. Imam Muhsin Hendricks held together his Muslim faith, queer identity, and Palestinian solidarity until the end of his life.
Their legacies are interpreted in different ways by different people. What remains consistent is the importance of engaging these questions thoughtfully and in good faith.
What Comes Next
This is not a call to cancel Cape Town Pride. Joy matters. Community matters. And an organisation willing to engage with difficult questions, acknowledge gaps, and consider policy development with its community is not an organisation acting in bad faith.
What this piece asks for is continued conversation. Greater transparency where possible. Clearer frameworks where needed. And space for a diversity of views within the community.
Several Pride organisations around the world have adopted ethical sponsorship guidelines that exclude sponsors with documented ties to military operations. It is possible. It simply takes the collective will to make it a priority.
Cape Town Pride has indicated openness to developing an ethical sponsorship approach. That process, if it unfolds, will likely benefit from broad participation and careful consideration.
Ubuntu. I am because we are. All of us.
Sikhander Coopoo is a black, queer, Muslim intersectional feminist with backgrounds in gender, pedagogy and local governance. He is a social justice and humxn rights activist at heart. Sikhander serves on the Gender and Sexuality Alliance of East London committee and writes in his own capacity.
Note: This article draws on publicly available reporting, advocacy materials, and institutional responses. Readers are encouraged to consult original sources and perspectives when engaging with the issues discussed.
