TOWNSHIP-BASED gay rights activists say courts take too long to process cases involving blacks.
The Free Gender Group and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) this week claimed that cases involving whites were dealt with speedily.
This after the case against nine men accused of beating a lesbian to death six years ago was postponed for the 15th time this week.
While walking home in Khayelitsha one day in 2006, Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, was chased by a group of more than 20 men determined to "correct" her sexuality.
Nine of them allegedly beat her to death with golf sticks and bricks and stabbed her with knives.
The horrific murder caused public outrage at the time. But the case has since fallen off the radar because of the 15 postponements. Last September, four of the suspects escaped.
Though they were rearrested soon afterwards, the fact that a police officer was being investigated for helping them escape led activists to believe that Nkonyana's alleged murderers might never face trial.
TAC member Nomfusi Nomnqa said the justice system was failing Nkonyana because she was a black lesbian from a poor family.
"Why do cases involving whites such as the Dewanis get solved so quickly? Nkonyana's case is in its sixth year, with no sign of it coming to an end," she said.
Nomnqa said though slain British honeymooner Anni Dewani was of Indian descent, the perception was that whites and people from Europe had a greater chance of getting justice in South Africa than local blacks.
Funeka Soldaat, founder of Free Gender, an organisation advocating gender equality and acceptance of gay people, said the National Prosecuting Authority and Legal Aid Board were blaming each other for the delays.
Cope legislature member Tozama Bevu described the delays as "wrong and unacceptable".
She promised to write to Justice Minister Jeff Radebe to ask him to personally intervene.
ANC ward councillor Mthwalo Mkutswana blamed the country's justice system.
"Since the advent of democracy, the law has turned against us. Killers have more rights than victims. You can imagine the trauma Nkonyana's family is going through," Mkutswana said.
'Courts snub blacks'
TOWNSHIP-BASED gay rights activists say courts take too long to process cases involving blacks.
The Free Gender Group and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) this week claimed that cases involving whites were dealt with speedily.
This after the case against nine men accused of beating a lesbian to death six years ago was postponed for the 15th time this week.
While walking home in Khayelitsha one day in 2006, Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, was chased by a group of more than 20 men determined to "correct" her sexuality.
Nine of them allegedly beat her to death with golf sticks and bricks and stabbed her with knives.
The horrific murder caused public outrage at the time. But the case has since fallen off the radar because of the 15 postponements. Last September, four of the suspects escaped.
Though they were rearrested soon afterwards, the fact that a police officer was being investigated for helping them escape led activists to believe that Nkonyana's alleged murderers might never face trial.
TAC member Nomfusi Nomnqa said the justice system was failing Nkonyana because she was a black lesbian from a poor family.
"Why do cases involving whites such as the Dewanis get solved so quickly? Nkonyana's case is in its sixth year, with no sign of it coming to an end," she said.
Nomnqa said though slain British honeymooner Anni Dewani was of Indian descent, the perception was that whites and people from Europe had a greater chance of getting justice in South Africa than local blacks.
Funeka Soldaat, founder of Free Gender, an organisation advocating gender equality and acceptance of gay people, said the National Prosecuting Authority and Legal Aid Board were blaming each other for the delays.
Cope legislature member Tozama Bevu described the delays as "wrong and unacceptable".
She promised to write to Justice Minister Jeff Radebe to ask him to personally intervene.
ANC ward councillor Mthwalo Mkutswana blamed the country's justice system.
"Since the advent of democracy, the law has turned against us. Killers have more rights than victims. You can imagine the trauma Nkonyana's family is going through," Mkutswana said.
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