Lesbian killers get 18-years sentence

Lesbian killers get 18-years sentence

Four South African men have been sentenced to 18 years in jail for stabbing and stoning to death 19-year-old lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana in 2006.

The court found that the men killed Ms Nkonyana because she was living openly as a lesbian.

A crowd outside the court in Khayelitsha, a Cape Town township, cheered and danced at the sentencing.

The constitution protects people on the grounds of sexual orientation, but homophobia is widespread.

The sentence handed out in the Nkonyana case is seen as 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.

BBC/Cokey