As a media documentations organization, over the past four months Iranti has received an alarming number of cases of hate crimes in the Gauteng province. The Eastrand and the Vaal region have been mostly affected. Iranti is currently following up and reporting on 1 murder case of Pascalina Malemu in the Vaal, 1 murder case of Tebogo Mkhonto in Volsolruus and 2 cases of Lucia Naidoo and Mabelandile Mohlabi in Katlehong. Iranti is also following up and reporting on a rape case in the Vaal and a hate crime incident against a trans* woman in Klerksdorp, North West.
Among these cases, Iranti documented the heartbreaking murders of Lucia Naidoo and Tebogo Mkhonto. Lucia was murdered outside her house on her birthday, March 19th 2016 and died in her mother’s arms. About two weeks later, a few streets away from Lucia’s house, a young gay man Tebogo was also murdered in his home in Volsoorus. He had gone out with his friends and returned to 5 men breaking and entering into his home. Tebogo’s property was taken from his home and the four men raped him with a stick, stabbed him to death and decapitated him.
Iranti is closely monitoring the cases and working with the South African Police services to ensure justice is served. 1 suspect has been arrested for Lucia’s murder and 4 suspects have been arrested for Tebogo’s murder. Iranti will also release a report to the Ministry of Justice’s national hate-crimes task team highlighting the urgency of government intervention regarding LGBTI hate crimes in South Africa. Iranti, along with two community based organizations, IHAWU and Voslo Activators documented both the cases of Lucia and Tebogo.
Below is the video reporting on both the murders.