An 18-year-old lesbian has been brutally raped and murdered in South Africa, in what is suspected to be a case of “corrective rape”. Gift Makau was found dead in Tshing, Ventersdorp, on Friday after reportedly being raped and strangled with wire and a shoelace. A running hose had been forced into her mouth. A 24-year-old man has been arrested. Police say they have yet to determine a motive. Makau's cousin, Lucky Gaorongwe, told Times Live that her murder was particularly shocking because the suspect was well known in the area. "She had never been abused or heckled in the community," her cousin said. "She was a cool girl who was never violent. She enjoyed playing and refereeing soccer games in the neighbourhood." The Congress of South African Trade Unions has called for action, saying: “It’s outrageous that we still witness such shocking acts in this twenty first century, in a country which has progressive legislation to put a stop to violence against women and children, and which has ratified, without reservations, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, whose Protocol recognises that every woman has a right to dignity, respect and protection from all forms of violence. “Despite this, such brutal acts continue and are far too common, a product of male chauvinism and patriarchy which must be fought and eliminated.” It’s shared examples of other brutal rapes and murders of lesbian women in South Africa in recent years. Three years ago Noxolo Fiyona Nogwaza, a lesbian and active member of the Ekurhuleni Pride Organisation Committee, was raped and stoned in Kwa-Thema. In the same year Banyana Banyana player, Eudy Simelane, was also killed in Kwa-Thema. The Congress insists that members of the gay and lesbian community must have exactly the same rights as every other South African “to choose who to love and have relationships with and to live in peace and safety. We demand that if proved guilty the perpetrator must be given a harsh sentence as a way of expressing South Africans' disgust at such despicable acts”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 20th August 2014 - 8:59am