On the 30th of August 2017 ActionAid South Africa’s youth network – Activista, will gather outside the Protea Magistrates Court to join hands with the Rainbow Activist Alliance and the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) to demand justice for Lerato Tambai Moloi.
Moloi was raped and murdered by three men in a suspected hate crime in May this year. Moloi is one of innumerable people that represent the pandemic levels of violence and hate perpetrated against black queer bodies in South Africa.
RAA and FEW have been monitoring the case from the start and have been frustrated that it was postponed three times since the suspects’ bail hearing at the end of May.
Jade Madingwane, FEW’s Programmes Assistant says,
“We are protesting outside the court tomorrow to demand justice for the murder of Lerato. We want to see harsh sentences for the suspects.”
ActionAid South Africa’s Communications and Campaigns Manager Katherine Robinson says that despite the strong legislation protecting the rights of queer citizens, not a year passes without hate crimes being perpetrated.
“We urgently need to get to a point as a society, where we not only no long need to monitor court proceedings to ensure justice, but where people’s lives and humanity are respected and protected. Government must take urgent action to put an end to these hate crimes.”
says Katherine Robinson
