KwaZulu-Natal LGBTQI+ organisation sounds alarm on hate crimes following teen's murder
An LGBTQI organisation has condemned the rising incidents of hate crimes in KwaZulu-Natal following the murder of 19-year-old KwaXimba teenager, Sibongimpilo Mzobe, who was found floating in a river near his home in Number 9, a village outside Cato Ridge, west of Durban. The genitals of the openly gay teenager had been mutilated.
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An organisation advocating for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community has condemned what it describes as a rise in hate-crime incidents in KwaZulu-Natal, following the recent murder of a gay teenager in KwaXimba, near Cato Ridge.
Sibongimpilo “Shanah” Mzobe, 19, from Number 9 Village in KwaXimba, was killed on Sunday. His body was later discovered in a nearby river, not far from his home.
According to family members, Mzobe had returned from a social outing at about 3am and briefly spoke with his aunt before someone called him outside. His body was discovered a few hours later. Relatives believe the perpetrator may have been someone known to him.
Hlengiwe Buthelezi of LGBTQ+ Community KwaZulu-Natal said the incident highlights ongoing challenges faced by sexual-minority groups.
“That place still has people who are strong believers of culture and are still rooted in the ways which makes it difficult for them to acccept people who are in same sex relationships."
She said the deep-rooted cultural beliefs sometimes make engagement around civil liberties and equality difficult.
Buthelezi sadid even though the deceased was found in the Mdluli clan part of KwaXimba, they had previously worked wit the clan in the past as LGBTQ+ Community KZN to address stigma and promote acceptance.
She said that when their campaigns first began, cases of discrimination and abuse against LGBTQI+ individuals were more frequent.
While progress has been made, she warned that isolated but severe incidents continue to occur.
Buthelezi urged community structures, local leaders and civil society organisations to intensify education and awareness programmes aimed at promoting inclusivity and preventing violence against marginalised groups, like in Mzobe's case.
Earlier this month, another teenager, Asithande Mkhuba, 18, was found dead in an advanced stage of decomposition in Mkholombe, Port Shepstone, after she went missing on New Year's Day. Mkhuba was lesbian and the man whose rented cottage she was found in, is still on the run.