A new civil society coalition has been launched in response to the growing influence of anti-rights and far-right movements in South Africa and across the continent, with next year’s Pan African Conference on Family Values (PACFV) in Cape Town acting as a catalyst.
Called Vimba! We the People, the coalition brings together organisations from the LGBTIQ+ rights, feminist, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), legal, faith, labour, education, racial justice and political justice sectors.
The coalition says it aims to defend South Africa’s constitutional democracy and hard-won freedoms in the face of what it describes as an emerging anti-rights and anti-democratic movement.
Family Values Conference sparks coalition
The coalition says it was spurred by the announcement that the next Pan African Conference on Family Values will be held in South Africa in 2027.
The PACFV, which will be held for the third time, has become a major point of concern for LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights organisations.
According to Vimba!, the conference has been used by far-right actors to advance agendas that could restrict access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, criminalise diverse gender expressions and limit young people’s access to information about sex, sexuality and sexual health.
There have already been calls for the conference to be blocked from taking place in South Africa, including a petition launched by MambaOnline opposing the event.
Vimba! says it understands the motivation behind those calls but believes the planned conference also presents an opportunity for rights organisations and other progressive movements to build a stronger collective response to far-right politics.
“We will seize this opportunity to grow our collective strength, and to work across the silos that have divided feminist, queer, inclusive faith, racial justice, and disability rights movements for too long,” the coalition said.
Challenging the “family values” narrative
At the heart of Vimba!’s campaign is a rejection of what it describes as the use of “traditional African values”, “the family” and national sovereignty to promote anti-rights agendas.
The coalition argues that these ideas are being used to create fear around issues including abortion, gender identity, comprehensive sexuality education and LGBTQ+ rights.
It also asserts that international far-right organisations are providing funding to movements promoting these agendas in Africa.
“It is therefore important that we reclaim our understanding of ‘family values’ as inclusive, diverse, and expansive,” the coalition said.
It also warned against what it describes as a new form of colonisation that reinforces colonial ideas about gender, sexuality and race.
“We must ask the question of why these groups, which have advanced white ethnonationalist political agendas in their own countries, are so eager to convince us, as African people, that we should embrace their so-called ‘pro-family’ calls to action, or believe them when they tell us they are anti-colonial,” states Vimba!
“The rhetoric they employ weaponises notions of gender, family, and sexuality to undermine our collective understanding of Ubuntu, our celebration of diversity in culture, gender, religion, language, race, and our collective pursuit for the dignity and rights of all,” it adds.
Defending the Constitution and democracy
Vimba! says the threat extends beyond LGBTQ+ rights and includes the broader constitutional protections and democratic gains made since the end of apartheid.
The coalition argues that attacks on sexual and reproductive rights are inseparable from wider questions of bodily autonomy, self-determination, equality and dignity.
It also points to South Africa’s regional commitments, including the Maputo Protocol (the landmark agreement to protect and defend the rights of women and girls across Africa), which the country has ratified, as frameworks that it says must be protected.
“Vimba! is a rallying call, for all sectors of society and our government to pay attention and recognise that our constitution and communities are under threat,” the coalition said.
It called on people committed to building a non-racist and non-sexist democracy to join its efforts.
From declaration to action?
While the launch represents an important attempt to bring a wide range of civil society movements under one umbrella, Vimba! has not yet provided details about the practical actions it plans to take.
The coalition’s statement calls on people and organisations to “Stop. Organise. Defend. Act”, but does not yet set out a programme of campaigns, protests, advocacy initiatives or other concrete interventions.
The coming months will show whether Vimba! develops into a sustained national movement capable of coordinating the different sectors it seeks to bring together.
For now, the coalition says its priority is to build collective strength and encourage South Africans to recognise and resist what it sees as a growing anti-rights movement.
“Vimba! We the People, invite you to join us as we organise,” the coalition said. “Vimba! We the People call on you to form part of our line of defence for our democracy. Vimba! We the People, know that it’s time to act!”
Organisations supporting Vimba! We the People
The coalition’s statement is endorsed by:
- Access Chapter 2
- Amandla.mobi
- FOCCISA Health and Gender Justice Network
- Gender DynamiX
- Gender Practitioners Community of Practice
- Ibis Reproductive Health
- Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM)
- Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa
- Intersexions.org
- Iranti
- Just Associates
- Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO)
- Nurture Retreat and Wellness Centre
- Pan Africa ILGA
- Parents, Families and Friends of South African Queers
- Queer Feminist Film Festival
- Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition (SRJC)
- Southern Africa Litigation Centre
- SRHR Africa Trust (SAT)
- The Global Interfaith Network (GIN-SOGGIE)
- Triangle Project
- Uniqueers Student Solidarity (WSU)
- Uthingo Network
- We are Church
- Women’s Legal Centre
