Sometimes Hell on Earth Costs Less Than A Box of Condoms

photo credit: Zanele Muholi

Free Gender, an LGBT rights group in Cape Town, South Africa organised a march this past weekend demanding justice for lesbian soccer-player Millicent Gaika who was brutally raped and tortured during a horrifying five-hour period of extreme agony and pain – this, in one of the only countries in Africa in which being gay is legal. This experience was meted out to her by a neighbour – an attempt at corrective rape, a daft, barbaric and ultimately disheartening crime that South Africa is becoming synonymous with. He was released on R60 bail (equivalent to GHS 12.84 or US$ 6.74), a ridiculous amount for a crime that shouldn’t be linked with the word ‘bail’ in any form at all (except the word DENIED is in attendance). Naturally he posted bail and promptly disappeared before sentencing; apparently no one has heard from or seen him since. I cannot imagine how Ms. Gaika must feel right now. Clearly she is not safe and the entire ordeal suggests that he legal system of her country does not care much for her security. It seems as though the rights of such felons are valued far above and beyond the rights of their victims just as this report proposes. It is also worthy of note that this is the SECOND TIME she has had to endure such cruelty: she was raped by  four men years ago. During the 100-strong march (which lasted for five hours as well), they petitioned the general public to cooperate with the authorities and release any information that would help in apprehending the rapist. Although the activists garnered some support from unlikely quarters, they had to endure homophobic slurs and similar dirty remarks from others as they conducted their protest.

I hope he’s caught soon and/or made to suffer just the kind of ‘pleasures’ he administered to his victim.

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