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The Murder of the South African lesbian activist, who was stoned and stabbed to death, is part of an epidemic of hate crimes, according to Human Rights Watch.
Noxolo Nogwaza was murdered in Kwa Thema Township outside Johannesburg on April 24, according to AFP. She was a member of the gay rights group the Ekurhuleni Pride Organizing Committee.
The incident “appears to be the latest in an epidemic of brutal homophobic attack,” according to Human Rights Watch.
Nogwaza was stabbed repeatedly with glass shards and left in an alley, her face and head disfigured by stoning, Human Rights Watch reported. A beer bottle, a large rock and used condoms were found on and near her body.
Despite evidence that Nogwaza’s murder is indeed a hate crime police spokesman Tshisikhawe Ndou said, “We do not have evidence to conclude that the crime was committed against her based on the fact of her sexual orientation. It is just purely murder and rape that we are investigating at this stage.”
Violence against lesbians is a pervasive problem in South Africa, whose progressive laws on gay rights coexist uneasily with a strong undercurrent of homophobia, according to gay rights activists, The AFP reported.
