South Africans Confronted with Reality of Continued Homophobic Murders
South Africans are rallying under the online banner of #JusticeForLulu after Andile 'Lulu' Ntuthela, a member of the LGBT community, was brutally murdered.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 20: (SOUTH AFRICA, UAE, BRAZIL OUT) South African human rights activists protest protest against homosexuals imprisoned in Malawi, outside the Home Affairs' Offices May 20, 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa. A gay couple have been sentenced to the maximum of 14 years in prison for "unnatural acts" and "gross indecency".
A 40-year-old South African man, Andile "Lulu" Ntuthela, was recently murdered and buried in a shallow grave in what is believed to be an act of homophobia. Ntuthela's body was reportedly only found eleven days after his tragic death. The 28-year-old suspect, who has not been named as yet, is expected to appear at the Kwa-Nobuhle Magistrates Court in the Eastern Cape today. LGBT activists and allies of the community have arranged to protest at the court today while many South Africans on social media are demanding justice under the banner of #JusticeForLulu.
According to IOL, Eastern Cape police spokesman, Colonel Priscilla Naidu, provided comment on the case saying:
"On 1 April 2021 until the 9 April 2021, the suspect was hospitalised for his mental condition. On his discharge from hospital, he was arrested and detained for the malicious damage to property. While detectives were questioning him, information emerged relating to the murder of Andile Ntuthela. Ntuthela was gay. On Saturday, 10 April 2021 police went back to the house with the necessary roleplayers and the body of Ntuthela was found buried in the yard."
Ntuthela's murder is the latest in what continues to be the active targeting of members of the LGBT community in South Africa. Most recently, Sphamandla Khoza, was repeatedly stabbed to death in KwaZulu-Natal and his body reportedly dumped in a sewerage manhole a week ago. Khoza's shoes were then placed in front of the gate to his home by the perpetrators. According to Khoza's cousin, Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi, Khoza had been attacked by men he knew and grew up around.
According to a report released in 2017, one in four South Africans knew someone who had been murdered because they were part of the LGBT community. Additionally, Black people were disproportionately affected versus their white counterparts with attacks being concentrated in the rural parts of the country although this is changing.
Here are some of the reactions from South Africans on social media with regards to Ntuthela's murder.
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