Lesbian's 4 Killers Sentenced to 18 Years

Four South African men have been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of 19-year-old Zoliswa Nkonyana in 2006, with the court finding that the men stabbed and stoned the young woman to death because she was open about being a lesbian.

This ruling has been hailed as extremely significant in a nation where there are constiuttional protections for gay people but homophobia remains widespread.

Via the BBC:

The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says the sentence handed out in the Nkonyana case is highly significant – both because of its length and the fact that the magistrate concluded that Ms Nkonyana was killed for being a lesbian.

For years activists have been calling on the state to be tougher on people who kill or attack people because of their sexual orientation – and they want the state to recognise hate crimes against lesbians, she says.

[...]

The magistrate said it was clear the motive for the killing was hatred and homophobia – and Wednesday’s sentence was meant to send out a signal that violence based on sexual orientation will not be tolerated, the South African Press Association reports.

The men in question, Lubabalo Ntlabathi, Sicelo Mase, Luyanda Londzi and Mbulelo Damba, were each given 18 years. However, five other people were acquitted.

Local LGBT rights groups have praised the strong nature of the ruling.

Via the AFP:

The Triangle Project, a Cape Town gay rights organisation, said that the verdict’s language had set a legal precedent for sentencing in future hate crimes.

“It was truly a significant victory for us in terms of setting some kind of precedent for future cases that involve an element of hate or discrimination or bias in respect of sexual orientation,” Jayne Arnott, the group’s director, told AFP.

“The magistrate in the sentencing recognised that Zoliswa had a right to live openly as she chose, as a lesbian in the community, and that there was a clear indication of intolerance and hatred towards her on these grounds.

Human Rights Watch has been particularly concerned with a number of attacks in the past five years that they believe to have been “corrective rape” assaults, that is to say where a woman is sexually violated in order to try and “cure” her or punish her for being a lesbian.

Among the most recent cases is that of Noxolo Nogwaza, 24, who is believed to have been the victim of a brutal hate crime murder just hours after leaving her girlfriend in a township near Johannesburg on April 23 of last year, and that of a 13 year old girl who claims she was raped because she identifies as a lesbian.

13-Year-Old Lesbian Latest Victim of “Corrective” Rape in South Africa

U.N. Approves Resolution Against Anti-Gay Discrimination

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License with thanks to mrbill.

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krista g.

11:15AM PDT on Apr 18, 2012

18 years for STABBING and STONING a young woman to death? That is an extremely violent, hateful and intentional, thought-out crime. Shouldn't these murderers be facing life in prison?

send a green star

Debbie C.

8:04AM PST on Feb 24, 2012

I am glad these 4 men got prison time, but why were five other people acquitted? They should have gotten prison time, also. Murder is murder. Give them prison time, too.

Nicola P.

3:41PM PST on Feb 21, 2012

Finally taking a step in the right direction.

Jay W.

3:37PM PST on Feb 21, 2012

shame zoliswa had to die but at least this will set a precedent for future attacks might make men stop and think before they kill next time

Jackie A.

9:13AM PST on Feb 16, 2012

At least they were tried and sentenced. Do I think the sentence should be higher? YES but it wasn't that long ago that a crime like this would have gone unpunished...:-(

Ann S.

8:54PM PST on Feb 9, 2012

How sad that someone had to be murdered so brutally and known so publicly before any attempts are begun to protect people. Sometimes progress is slow, and 18 years seems lenient. I hope they don't have any chance of parole on top of this light sentence.

Isabel R.

4:52PM PST on Feb 9, 2012

18 years is all they get? it's murder what they committed.

New G.

8:04PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

Agree with Martha E.

Kellie N.

7:57PM PST on Feb 6, 2012

Marianne C.
9:47pm PST on Feb 4, 2012
Eighteen years in a South African prison could be a deaths sentence. Which might even be fair, since that's what they gave their victim.

Good point. I didn't think about it like that!!!

Lynne B.

12:35PM PST on Feb 5, 2012

Good. They deserved to be jailed for this crime. There is no justification for their actions.