Refilwe Gift Malope, a 28-year-old lesbian activist, was murdered by people she knew and trusted — a police officer, Sgt Thabo Moses Mokwana, and his cousin, Modirela Maxwell Mokwana.
On 9 May 2022, the two men abducted Malope from Kgaphamadi village. Witnesses saw them forcing her into the boot of a car after she agreed to help them with what she believed was a car issue. Malope had told her family she was assisting relatives of her girlfriend. The men later murdered her, and her decomposed body was eventually discovered in a disused mine shaft in Benoni.
A week prior to the kidnapping Malope and her girfriend had been threatened by Malope’s family and had been told that “someone will die”.
The Polokwane High Court sentenced both men to life imprisonment for murder, plus additional concurrent sentences for kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
The victim’s family expressed the deep psychological impact of her loss, especially given her advocacy for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community. The case drew national attention, with government officials praising the police and courts for securing justice in this tragic and painful case.
Continue reading at:
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-08-29-no-to-hate-crime-cop-and-cousin-who-murdered-lesbian-activist-are-jailed/ (source)
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-05-16-a-week-of-sleepless-nights-as-family-of-abducted-limpopo-woman-desperate-for-a-lead/
- https://www.mambaonline.com/2025/08/29/finally-justice-for-slain-lesbian-refilwe-malope-but-questions-remain/
Listening to Lesbians 