Allocate budget for Limpopo LGBTIQ+ Pride as official annual provincial events

Unlike other Provinces, Limpopo is still behind in terms of LGBTIQ+ awareness both in the communities and government departments, to an extend that there has been cases of discrimination against LGBTIQ+ members that were documented. One of the matters that caught the attention of the media was the case of Nare Mphela who was discriminated at school, and the case was a success. [1] It is very painful that during the time of compiling this campaign this Hero of the province was found murdered in a room on Sunday 5 January 2020. This report and a series of murders for LGBTIQ+ members has been devastating to our society and we want productive intervention to be put in place [5]

In order to spread awareness and educate the community of Limpopo on LGBTIQ+ matters, it requires more involvement from the government than just a collective of LGBTIQ+ members alone raising their voices, and therefore including the LGBTIQ+ pride as part of an official provincial event will mandate more government employees to be involved regardless of the timing being a weekend, working days or line of duty. It is important to work towards uniting LGBTIQ+ community and Society during events, rather than promote separate events for LGBTIQ+ in the name of safe spaces. Dialogues and workshops have been conducted but it has not been enough, physical public activities creates more impact and interest to understand.

Pride is an international tradition, in most major cities around the world, which usually consists of a parade or March and associated entertainment, social and educational events that aim to raise the visibility of LGBTIQ+ people. In South Africa, the event has been taking place in several cities and townships, and it serves as an awareness campaign and celebration of the LGBTIQ+ community and in many countries, has become a significant local and international tourist attraction and destination event. The value and attendance to the Limpopo Pride has decreased over the years due to the procedures implemented in creating this awareness campaign, and that has made available resources to host and promote the event less effective.
By including this event in the provincial annual calendar and budget, it will engage more government employees to attend the event as part of departmental peer educators’ awareness campaigns, and therefore more members will attend regardless of not being working days if the event is regarded as an official duty. When more officials are educated on LGBTIQ+ matters, there will be less discrimination by police, health workers and educators among others, as there would be a better understanding of LGBTIQ+ community.
There are organizations that are working tirelessly without funding, trying to keep the LGBTIQ+ flag of the province raised, and they need a proper managed system from the department of social development, in collaboration with more departments like Health and Justice, to assist in implementing more programs. Limpopo’s infrastructure is more complex because of rural areas, and therefore to reach those villages that are distant to towns it needs involvement of district municipalities to also host pride events, and that requires a lot of support and mandate from the department. However, allocation of this fund should be in a way that it gives LGBTIQ+ community authority to advocate this events independently, while providing performance and financial reports to the department for accountability. This budget will be distributed among the 5 Districts of the Province to all hold mini prides and 1 main Provincial Pride event, in order to reach out more communities in rural areas. [2]
In your own statement honorable MEC you mentioned that “The mandate of the Department of Social Development is to provide social protection services and to lead government efforts to forge partnerships through which vulnerable individuals, groups and communities become capable and self-reliant participants in their own development.“ and we urge you to take a stand before more innocent lives in the province are affected further by lack of understanding and visibility of LGBTIQ+ people. [3]

References:

[1] Transgender Woman Nare Prince Mphela, wins a court case against Department of Education https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DFr0t5BpS-GQ&ved=2ahUKEwiH7qKtr-nmAhWMiFwKHaLgABoQjjgwAnoECAYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1_x8BsyGmS9XbrqD-j1bl1

[2] Vhembe LGBTIQ+ Pride Event 2019 https://www.google.com/amp/s/reviewonline.co.za/315383/lgbtiq-community-in-polokwane-celebrate-women-and-heritage-combined-on-the-7-september/amp

[3] 2019 Limpopo Social Development Budget Speech, MEC NC Rakgoale https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.limpopoleg.gov.za/files/news/BUDGET_SPEECH_2019_ELECTRONIC.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwidzY7inOnmAhWoRBUIHQAhA00QFjAOegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw3HH473KoLuvp2jFtVf6vQC

[4] 2019 Limpopo Province State of the Province Address (SOPA), Honourable Premier Stanley Chupu Mathabatha
https://www.gov.za/speeches/premier-chupu-mathabatha-limpopo-state-province-address-2019-22-feb-2019-0000

[5] Transgender Woman Nare Mphela murdered
https://www.mambaonline.com/2020/01/08/shock-as-limpopo-school-trans-rights-champion-murdered/