The LGBTQIA+ Sector within the National Dialogue of South Africa (NDSA) Steering Committee has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and senior government ministers to urgently intervene over plans to host the 3rd Pan-African Conference on Family Values (PACFV) in Cape Town in May 2027.
In a letter dated 30 July 2026 and addressed to Ramaphosa, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, and Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga, the sector expressed “profound alarm” over the planned conference.
The event is scheduled to take place from 12 to 15 May 2027 and is being organised by the Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF), with the Family Policy Institute (FPI) as its local partner.
The LGBTQIA+ Sector representatives described the conference as a significant threat to the rights of LGBTQIA+ South Africans and urged the government to take action before the event takes place.
“We cannot and will not allow such a conference to proceed unchallenged on South African soil,” the letter states.
The call comes after MambaOnline previously reported that the anti-LGBTQ+ rights movement had set its sights on South Africa, with the choice of Cape Town seen as a particularly symbolic move given the city’s status as a major LGBTQ+ destination and its upcoming hosting of WorldPride in 2028.
LGBTQIA+ sector warns of a coordinated anti-rights campaign
The NDSA representatives argue that the PACFV should not be viewed simply as a religious or faith-based gathering.
“The PACFV is not a benign gathering of faith communities,” the letter states.
According to the sector, the conference forms part of a wider network of international and African “family values” gatherings, including previous conferences held in Nairobi, Kenya, and meetings of the African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty and Values in Uganda and Ghana.
The letter argues that these platforms are being used to promote the Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values, which the LGBTQIA+ Sector says would redefine the concept of family in a way that excludes same-sex relationships and could undermine protections relating to gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, freedom of expression and civic space.
The sector also alleges that the movement has received financial and ideological support from foreign conservative organisations.
“This is a coordinated, well-funded, transnational campaign against the human rights of LGBTQIA+ people, dressed in the language of tradition and sovereignty, and South Africa is now its next target,” the letter states.
Concern over the Draft African Charter
The latest intervention comes amid growing concern about the Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values.
In June, MambaOnline reported that 20 African countries had endorsed the proposed charter at a family values conference in Accra, Ghana. The development was described by LGBTQ+ rights advocates as a significant step in efforts to advance a continent-wide anti-rights agenda.
The NDSA letter notes that Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 has been repeatedly referenced at these gatherings as a model for other African countries.
“Twenty African countries have already endorsed the Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values at the Accra conference, bringing it closer to potential adoption within African Union structures,” the letter states.
The LGBTQIA+ Sector warns that South Africa cannot remain passive as the movement expands across the continent.
“South Africa cannot afford to be a passive bystander while this tide rises around us, still less can we permit our own cities to be used as a staging ground for it,” the representatives wrote.
Praise for South Africa’s stance in Accra
The letter also acknowledges the South African government’s decision not to endorse the Draft African Charter at the June conference in Accra.
The NDSA representatives welcomed South Africa’s position, alongside Mozambique, and specifically praised MP Zandile Majozi for stating that the proposed charter was incompatible with the country’s Constitution and its Bill of Rights.
“We wish to place on record our appreciation and support for the South African delegation’s principled refusal, alongside Mozambique, to endorse the Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values at the Accra conference in June 2026,” the letter states.
The sector is now calling for the same constitutional principles to be applied domestically.
“We now ask that the same clarity be extended to the conduct of foreign and domestic anti-rights actors convening on our own soil,” the representatives wrote.
Freedom of religion versus constitutional protection
The LGBTQIA+ Sector acknowledges that South Africa’s Constitution protects freedom of association, religion, belief and opinion.
However, the representatives argue that these rights cannot be used to justify discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people.
“We recognise, and respect, that section 18 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of association, and section 15 guarantees freedom of religion, belief and opinion. We do not ask government to suppress belief or worship,” the letter states.
At the same time, the sector points to Section 9 of the Constitution, which prohibits unfair discrimination on grounds including sexual orientation.
The letter argues that a conference promoting a charter that excludes same-sex families and seeks to restrict LGBTQIA+ rights cannot simply be treated as a neutral exercise of religious or associational freedom.
“Freedom of association was never intended by the framers of our Constitution to shield the organised export of hatred,” the representatives state.
The sector’s intervention comes against the backdrop of South Africa’s longstanding constitutional protections for LGBTQIA+ people. The country remains the only African nation whose Constitution explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and was the first country in the world to include such protection in its founding law.
Calls for government action
The LGBTQIA+ Sector has presented the Presidency and relevant ministers with five specific requests.
These include activating the rapid response mechanism promised through the National Dialogue to assess the potential threat posed by the conference; investigating whether the conference programme, materials or invited speakers could constitute hate speech or unfair discrimination; and engaging with the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Government over public venues and permits.
The sector is also asking the government to issue a clear public statement reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to equality and non-discrimination for LGBTQIA+ people.
Finally, it wants the government to meet with the LGBTQIA+ Sector of the NDSA Steering Committee and affected civil society organisations to develop a coordinated response ahead of the planned May 2027 conference.
The representatives emphasise that their call is not an attempt to suppress religious belief or freedom of association, but rather to ensure that constitutional protections are upheld.
“South Africa’s Constitution was not written to be selectively honoured,” the letter states.
“The same document that gives the state its legitimacy gives every LGBTQIA+ person the right to live free from discrimination, in dignity and in safety.”
The letter was signed by Tebogo K. Legodi, Lee-Anne Walker and Marble Bore Kalembo, the three Co-Chairpersons of the LGBTQIA+ Sector within the National Dialogue of South Africa Steering Committee.
The sector says it is ready to work with the Presidency and relevant ministries to ensure that the planned conference does not proceed “in its current, discriminatory form” and is awaiting an urgent response from government.
