Anti-LGBTQ+ Rights Movement Sets Its Sights on South Africa with Cape Town Conference

Plans for an anti-LGBTQ+ African “family values” conference in Cape Town next year are moving forward, prompting concern among LGBTQ+ organisations that the anti-rights movement is making its boldest move yet in South Africa.

It has been confirmed by the Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF) in a message seen by MambaOnline that the 3rd Pan-African Conference on Family Values (PACFV) will take place in Cape Town from 12 to 15 May 2027.

“Join Christian leaders, professionals, policymakers, parliamentarians, faith leaders, and family advocates from across Africa as we unite to defend the sanctity of human life, strengthen families, safeguard religious freedom, and promote Africa’s biblical and indigenous values,” state the organisers.

Significance of Hosting Conference in Cape Town

According to earlier reports, the event’s local organisers in South Africa will be the Family Policy Institute (FPI), led by Errol Naidoo, an outspoken anti-LGBTQ+ preacher, lobbyist and former member of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).

The previous Pan-African Conference on Family Values took place in Nairobi in 2025. Delegates gathered in the Kenyan capital to strategise their opposition to LGBTIQ+ equality, abortion and comprehensive sexuality education.

The decision to hold the 2027 conference in South Africa—the continent’s only country that constitutionally protects LGBTQ+ people from discrimination and recognises same-sex marriage—is a bold and symbolic move. It signals that the anti-rights movement is prepared to challenge progressive human rights protections even in Africa’s most constitutionally inclusive nation.

The choice of Cape Town for the conference location may also be linked to its visibility as a global LGBTQ+ travel destination. The city is set to host WorldPride in 2028., which has infuriated local anti-LGBTQ+ figures.

It’s also worth noting that Cape Town is often seen as the “gay capital”  set to host World Pride the following  

LGBTQ+ Groups Express Deep Concern

In a statement, the South African organisation Parents, Families and Friends of South African Queers (PFSAQ) told MambaOnline that it was deeply concerned about conferences and initiatives “that frame a single understanding of family, human dignity, or values as the only legitimate perspective.”

Dipuo Virginia Magwaza, Managing Director of PFSAQ, said that while the organisation respects the right of faith communities to gather and express their beliefs, it is troubling when these platforms promote narratives that exclude or delegitimise the lived realities of many families.

PFSAQ asserted that families across Africa are diverse, including families raising LGBTIQ+ children, single-parent families, blended families, extended families, grandparent-led households, adoptive families and many other family structures that reflect the continent’s rich social fabric.

“Every one of these families deserves recognition, dignity, and the opportunity to thrive,” said Magwaza.

“When conferences promote a narrow definition of family as the only acceptable model, they risk reinforcing stigma and discrimination against families whose experiences fall outside that definition. Such messaging can contribute to rejection, isolation, poor mental health, and increased vulnerability for LGBTIQ+ people and their loved ones.”

“We believe that faith, culture, and indigenous African values should never be used to justify the exclusion or dehumanization of any person. Across Africa, values such as ubuntu, compassion, respect, dignity, and community have long taught us that our humanity is bound together. These values call us to embrace, rather than reject, those who are different,” added PFSAQ.

OUT LGBT Well-being Calls for a Unified Response

Sibonelo Ncanana-Trower, Human Rights Coordinator at OUT LGBT Well-being, also warned that the right to freedom of religion, belief and peaceful assembly “must never be used to justify discrimination, exclusion, or the erosion of the constitutional and human rights of LGBTQ+ people.”

He urged South African civil society to actively counter narratives that increase stigma and discrimination by coordinating a unified response across LGBTQ+, women’s rights, youth, health, legal, faith and human rights organisations. He also encouraged organisations to proactively share positive, evidence-based stories about diverse families and the lived realities of LGBTQ+ Africans.

Ncanana-Trower further called for engagement with affirming faith leaders and theologians “to demonstrate that religion is not represented by one viewpoint alone,” as well as parallel dialogues, community events and media engagements that promote constitutional values, dignity, inclusion and social cohesion.

He also suggested equipping activists with media messaging, digital safety and legal support to respond calmly and accurately to misinformation, while working with policymakers and institutions “to reinforce South Africa’s constitutional commitment to equality, freedom, and non-discrimination.”

Ncanana-Trower highlighted the importance of monitoring and documenting hate speech and incitement, and reporting any conduct that violates South African law or human rights standards.

“Families exist in many forms across Africa, and every person deserves dignity, equality, and protection from violence. We remain committed to engaging constructively, promoting evidence-based dialogue, and ensuring that no one is left behind,” he said.

Faith Group Defends Inclusion

Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM), a Cape Town-based organisation that champions the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people within African faith communities, urged South Africans to reject efforts to restrict the rights and freedoms of already marginalised communities.

“As a nation that has fought hard for its democratic gains, South Africa and indeed South Africans must reject any rhetoric that seeks to undermine the liberties enshrined in our Constitution,” Rev. Ecclesia de Lange, IAM Director, told MambaOnline.

“As Inclusive and Affirming Ministries, we reaffirm our commitment to an Africa where all people can live openly, safely, and with dignity. We call on leaders to protect inclusion and to champion values of justice, and human flourishing for all.”

Growing Anti-Rights Movement Across Africa

The conference forms part of a growing number of pan-African gatherings that seek to mobilise religious, political and traditional leaders to oppose the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people, while undermining democratic values under the banner of protecting the family and promoting so-called “African values”.

These events are typically supported and funded by wealthy right-wing Christian organisations from the United States and Europe that actively promote conservative agendas across the continent—a phenomenon that many critics have described as a new form of colonialism.

The Cape Town conference is also expected to continue promoting the adoption of the Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values by African Union member states. The proposed charter seeks to exclude same-sex families from the definition of family and roll back human rights protections relating to gender, sexuality, reproductive health and freedom of expression across Africa.