Dr Samukezi Mrubula-Ngwenya, said going to Kwa Mai Mai might not be the safest route for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Ngizwe Mchunu’s rant against the queer community, right at the beginning of Pride Month, has rallied the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community.
“A man that sleeps with another man is rubbish. You guys are causing big problems for us,” said Mchunu in a video on his social media.
Later, in the now-deleted video, Mchunu added that: “Somizi must take his people and leave this country, South Africa.”
Ms. Party expresses how they feel about Ngizwe Mchunu following Ngizwe Mchunu's homophobic comments. pic.twitter.com/kM7EftTIVo
— Musa Khawula (@Musa_Khawula) October 1, 2025
While some have ridiculed the offensive comments, others have posted videos showing their resolute standing in their sexual orientations and gender identities.
This siege mentality led singer-songwriter and former The Soil member Buhlebendalo Mda to suggest that the Pride March should be held at the traditional market, Kwa Mai Mai, in downtown Johannesburg.
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH 😭❤️🏳️🌈 https://t.co/6VyWeJGshU pic.twitter.com/TqIuchqo0Z
— Tadéus (@tadeusofficiall) October 1, 2025
Revolution but in a safe space
Social justice activist Dr Samukezi Mrubula-Ngwenya, who specialises in, among others, LGBTQIA+ rights, said that going to Kwa Mai Mai might not be the safest route for defiance.
“Personally, I do not agree with this move. Queer people and queer lives are already under constant threat, and intentionally entering spaces that are unsafe only increases the risk of harm,” Mrubula-Ngwenya told The Citizen.
Mrubula-Ngwenya lectures and convenes the Gender Studies Programme at the University of Limpopo; she holds a PhD in Political Science from the same institution.
She’s a former Fulbright scholar and holds a Master’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University in the US.
“Placing ourselves in environments marked by traditional resistance exposes us to potential retaliation and further marginalisation,” said Mrubula-Ngwenya.
“Pride is, at its core, revolutionary. For it to be effective, it must take place in spaces where it can unfold meaningfully, where the message is not diluted but powerfully affirms that queer lives matter.”
Mrubula-Ngwenya found the comments deeply derogatory, violent, and divisive.
“As a country already grappling with numerous challenges, including tribal stigmas that often pit us against one another, such remarks only add fuel to the fire.”
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It’s not about traditional attire
Mchunu’s unhinged comments stem from a gay couple tying the knot last weekend. The male couple wore traditional clothes to symbolise their ethnic pride.
One of the grooms wore traditional Zulu gear, which seems to have riled up Mchunu.
“You guys are taking the power in our warrior attire and sleeping with each other,” said the former Ukhozi FM personality.
Mrubula-Ngwenya believes Mchunu’s rant has nothing to do with traditional attire.
“At its core, it is rooted in power, ownership, and entitlement over culture, structures that remain deeply entrenched in misogyny and patriarchy, and in the ongoing debates about what or who qualifies as a ‘real man,’” she said.
The activist said Mchunu doesn’t see gay men as ‘real’ men and that Zulu gay men do not exist.
“Such rhetoric effectively erases and invisibilises queer Zulu people who have always been part of this culture and community.”
“His suggestion that queer people deserve to be jailed echoes the dangerous positions taken by some African countries, such as Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Uganda, that have actively sought to criminalise and police queer bodies,” Mrubula-Ngwenya said.
“This sentiment stands in direct opposition to the principles of our Constitution, which affirms equality, dignity, and protection for all.”
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has lodged a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against Mchunu.
In his letter to the SAHRC, the UDM’s Mxolisi Makhubu argued that Mchunu’s comments incited violence against the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I write to lodge a formal complaint against Ngizwe Mchunu for hate speech, incitement to violence and ethnic mobilisation targeting members of the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa,” Makhubu said.
On Thursday, the HRC confirmed that it had received complaints from members of the public and was registering and assessing them.
Media Statement: South African Human Rights Commission statement on alleged harassment and hate speech utterances by Mr Ngizwe Mchunu https://t.co/pbFh1uLRR6 pic.twitter.com/h4VZDpnvmR
— SAHRCommission (@SAHRCommission) October 2, 2025
“The Commission will communicate the outcome of the assessment of the complaints in due course,” it said in a statement.
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Legally recognised but far from social acceptance
Mrubula-Ngwenya said while South Africa’s legal framework protects LGBTQI+ rights, there remains a profound disjuncture between legal recognition and social acceptance.
“Ngizwe’s statement: ‘Somizi qoqa isizwe sakho niphume niphele lapha KwaZulu’ (Somizi, gather your people and leave KwaZulu), reflects and reinforces this gap,” Mrubula-Ngwenya said.
“His words align with findings from the Pew Research Centre’s Global Attitudes Survey, which shows that approximately 72% of South Africans believe same-sex activity is morally wrong.”
“His remarks serve as a stark reminder that, as a nation, we still have a long way to go in truly recognising, respecting, and celebrating queer people as an integral part of our society.”
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