Opposing same-sex costs us - LGBTQI+

MBABANE – The opposition to the recognition of same-sex advocacy organisation has created financial costs for them.

This was said by the Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities (ESGM) Director, Sisanda Mavimbela, whose non-governmental organisation advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, or queer (LGBTQI+) rights received a stop sign from government to legally operate.

She said these costs were in the form of lost timelines to apply and get funding to implement activities for the clients ESGM serves. Mavimbela said they were unable to comprehensively address issues such as gender-based violence (GBV) within the LGBTQI+ community.

Mavimbela said while GBV knew no bounds, they did not have firsthand information on how pervasive this was. She said without the green light for registration, they would never comprehensively know the causes of GBV. Mavimbela said interventions were needed, but they kept referring their clients to other organisations.

Mavimbela said it remained pending despite filing the necessary documents for registration under Section 17 of the Companies Act, which provides for the incorporation of not-for-profit associations as companies limited by guarantee.

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Mavimbela said ESGM was spreading awareness about intimate partner violence.

“Even within the LGBTQI+ community, we face intimate partner violence. It is high across the country and should be declared a national crisis,” Mavimbela said.

Mavimbela said it was hard to collect data because of the non-registration, adding that the cases referred to other organisations. Last year, despite the Supreme Court making its judgment on the matter of registration of ESGM and referring this to the desk of the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Minister Manqoba Khumalo, it was declined.

Minister Khumalo had said he exercised the powers given to him in terms of Section 27(30) of the Companies Act of 2009 to decline.