Simon Nkoli speaking at the first pride parade in 1990Soweto Pride 2012 participants protest against violence against lesbians with a "Dying for Justice" banner and T-shirts which read "Solidarity with women who speak out".Soweto Pride 2012 participants remember two lesbians who were raped and murdered.
I'm fighting for the abolition of apartheid. And I fight for the right of freedom of sexual orientation. These are inextricably linked with each other. I cannot be free as a black man if I am not free as a gay man.
— Simon Nkoli (First pride parade, Johannesburg, 13 October 1990)
Section Nine of the country's1996 Constitution provides for equality andfreedom from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation among other factors.[1] Over time, the celebration factor came to overshadow the protest factor despite ongoing social issues. The 2012 parade was marred by a clash between activist participants and members of the Joburg Pride organising body,[7][10] and the organising body disbanded in April 2013 due to internal conflict about whether the event should continue to be used for political advocacy. Two new committees were formed around May 2013. One of them was called "Johannesburg Pride" and would carry on the history of the oldest and largest LGBTQIA Pride in South Africa & (Africa),[11] The other committee would organise a "Johannesburg People's Pride", which is "envisioned as an inclusive and explicitly political movement for social justice".[12][13] As of June 2019, Johannesburg Pride is the largest Pride event in Africa.[a]Johannesburg pride has recently faced controversy due to the commercialisation of Pride. After publicly stating that Amazon would be a sponsor of pride 2025, various queer communities decided to boycott JHB pride, as Amazon is currently funding genocide. This was met by a response from Kaye Ally (the self-claimed “founder” of JHB pride) where she denied being sponsored by Amazon. As part of her official response Mrs. Ally included videos of hate speech and insinuated that the groups choosing to boycott JHB pride was the source of the video. This was false information spread with the intent of causing division among the queer community.
In response to the way this backlash was addressed, a group of queer protesters holding “no pride in genocide” and “free Palestine” posters lead the 2025 JHB pride march. The protestors held a moment of silence for all those who are currently oppressed, specifically focusing on the genocides that are occurring globally as well as for LGBTQ+ members who have been lost due to hatred. The group voiced their concerns regarding rainbow- and pink-washing of genocide and proclaimed that this should not be done in the name of all queer people.After the moment of silence the group decided not to continue the march, instead holding their posters and chanting as the march continued. Chants included: “free Palestine”, “free Sudan” , “free Uganda” and “free Congo”.
Durban Pride has been held every year inDurban, the largest city in the province, since 2011.[37]
The Pink Mynah Festival is held inPietermaritzburg, the provincial capital, in October. The event includes abeauty pageant, a fashion show, a pride parade and a picnic.[38]
Limpopo Pride has been held inPolokwane since 2012.[39][40] In 2015, various government officials, including the mayors of Polokwane and theCapricorn District Municipality as well as councillors and members of the police service, marched in the parade.[41]
On 9 August 2014, a pride parade took place inNelspruit. This marked the first time a pride parade was held in the province of Mpumalanga.[42][43] One month later, on 6 September 2014, the town ofErmelo organised its first pride parade.[44][45]
The Pink Loerie Mardi Gras has been held inKnysna since 2001.[1][27]
The Khumbulani Pride ("Remember Pride"), which aims to honour the lives of LGBT people lost in hate violence in the Western Cape, has taken place in different townships in the province every year since 2013. In 2013, it was held inGugulethu and remembered hate crime victims such as 19-year-oldZoliswa Nkonyana who was stabbed and stoned to death inKhayelitsha in 2006 for living openly as a lesbian.[6][49][50] In 2014 and 2015, it took place in the townships of Samora Michel and Khayelitsha, respectively. In 2016, the event was held in the township ofLanga.[51] Since then, the event has been held inStrand andDelft.
^Gevisser, Mark; Reid, Graeme (1995). "Pride or Protest?: Drag queens, comrades, and the Lesbian and Gay Pride march". In Gevisser, Mark; Cameron, Edwin (eds.).Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa. New York: Routledge. pp. 278–283.ISBN9780415910606. Retrieved29 July 2014.
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