Even under the limiting conditions, LGBTI advocacy groups have stepped up their efforts. A key site of action has been in legal and policy reform, with challenges in court being used in tandem with robust engagement of, and advocacy with decisionmakers in several countries in southern Africa. And the results has been good. The Other Foundation joins freedom loving citizens of the world in celebrating the recent decision by the Court of Appeal in Botswana to reject an attempt by the government to reinstate that country's ban on same-sex sexual activity. Litigation for equality is also well under way in Mauritius and eSwatini, with plans being developed for similar actions in other countries in the region.

Collectif Arc En Ciel and Young Queer Alliance in Mauritius have taken the struggle for equal rights to the Supreme Court in a historic case aiming to bring about change for the LGBTI community. For the first time, the constitutionality of legal discrimination against LGBTI people in the country is being challenged and the world is watching to see what the judgement in this case will be.

In South Africa a loud, shameful silence by church and other leaders amidst LGBTI killings and suffering has again revealed the limitations of its progressive Constitution. Despite explicit mention of ‘sexual orientation’ as a protected characteristic in section 9 of the Constitution, trans and gender diverse people remain exceptionally vulnerable to violence, stigma, discrimination and general exclusion in South African society.

LGBTI groups have once again stepped up to claim their human rights. A position paper, Keeping the Promise of Dignity and Freedom for All, on the removal of gender markers from identity numbers has been written by the Legal Resource Centre in partnership with Gender DynamiX. The paper advances a model of legal gender recognition based on self-determination for use by the South African Department of Home Affairs. Similarly, the Trans Activist Coalition comprised of Iranti, Transgender and Intersex Africa, and other groups banded together to call for better service delivery for trans and gender diverse people in a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Department of Home Affairs has committed to working together with the coalition to prevent systemic delays, and to sensitize its personnel. Also in South Africa, several LGBTI groups issued a joint call to action in response to a harmful seminar about medical care of transgender and intersex people.

Elsewhere, there have been positive developments. In Zimbabwe, with GALZ beginning to reap the reward of its continued attempts to engage the Zimbabwean government and major political party, Zanu PF, a lot of work still needs to be done to turn what may be seen by some as tokenism into actions that could see a repeal in its discriminatory laws, and support for attitudinal and behavioural change in a society which is still deeply homophobic.

In Malawi and Zambia, 2021 saw the first ever public Pride marches organised and successfully run. We are proud of our brave and determined colleagues who made that possible.

The Other Foundation has been supporting the visibility of litigation and policy reform advocacy efforts in our region, not only through grant support to many organisations who are doing this work but also through organising and hosting convenings. The Foundation held a panel discussion of southern African activists as a part of World Pride, followed by a series of national consultations in Botswana, eSwatini, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, and South Africa. The convenings were held in partnership with the Young Queer Alliance and Collectif Arc En Ciel (Mauritius), Community Health Rights Advocacy (Malawi), the Diversity Alliance of Namibia, eSwatini Sexual Gender Minorities, Gender Dynamix (South Africa), LEGABIBO (Botswana).

These convenings culminated in a regional dialogue that was held at the end of November 2021. The regional dialogue, a galvanizing tool to initiate more joined-up, strategic and hard hitting public advocacy actions in our region, will feed into the programme at kopano 2022. All this was made possible with the support of the Danish government and the Foundation’s many other donors.


The Foundation intends to hold kopano - Rollbacks, Resilience, and Reinvention from 16 to 18 March 2022. However, we will continue to monitor COVID-19 infection rates and may have to postpone kopano 2022 to later in the year if the circumstances make that necessary.

Eleven peers of grant applicants helped make decisions about the Foundation’s grantmaking in 2021. This year, the Foundation gave 99 grants amounting to about ZAR 14 million to groups in all 13 countries in which the Foundation works. Despite the limitations of the volatile COVID-19 context, the Foundation’s operational team has worked throughout the year to conclude these grant allocations and disburse payments.

In doing its grantmaking, the Foundation was attacked in the mass media in Zambia at the start of the year, presenting a serious risk to the groups whom we support there. As a result, the Foundation has been putting in place increased protection mechanism to defend frontline LGBTI activists in the region and will continue to deepen that work next year.

The Foundation applauds its retiring trustees Alice Mogwe (Botswana) and Miguel De Brito (Mozambique) for their excellent leadership of the Foundation since 2015. We are grateful for their stewardship of the Foundation from its earlliest days.

It was a fitting way for Alice Mogwe to retire as a trustee of the Foundation, on receiving the 2021 FES Human Rights Award. Congratulations to Alice on this global recognition.

We are delighted to welcome Danilo da Silva (Mozambique) and Rosie Motene (South Africa) as new trustees of the Foundation.

The Foundation bid a warm farewell to its grantmaking officer, Katlego Chibamba, and movement building officer, Virginia Magwaza, who have both started new chapters in their professional careers. Thank you Katlego and Virginia for your excellent contributions to the Foundation over many years.

The work of the Foundation would not be possible without the unwavering support of our individual and institutional donors. The Foundation is grateful for your support and looks forward to creating more magic with you in 2022.

AARON SCHWINDT – ABRI PEROLD – ADRIAN COMAN – AGNES NYGREN – ALAN ROBERTS – ALBERT LOUW – ALEX ZIMPER – AMANDA GEYER – ANATHI SHOSHA – ANDILE MZINYATI – ANDREA MAHARAJ – ANDREW HOWARD – ANN-MARIE GOLIATH – ANTOINE PAPAYYA – ARCUS FOUNDATION – ASHLEY GREEN-THOMPSON – AYANDA BALLENSIEFEN – BARBARA BOHLE – BARBARA WRIGHT – BLANCHE TING – BOKANG MAROBA – BONGANI KHUMALO – BONGILE LECOGE – BONGINKOSI MAHALA – BRADLEY FORTUIN – BRENDA YENI – BRETON ALBERTI – BRETT PYPER – BRIAN HLONGWA – BRIAN OLSON – BRIAN SIBEKO – BRUCE COURIE – CARINA CAPITINE – CARL WOCKE – CARLA SUTHERLAND – CAROLINA SHIELDS – CATHERINE HENDRICKS – CHESLIN TWIGG – CHRIS NESSLING – CHRIS TAUTE – CHRISTOPH MINKE – COBUS BENADE – CONSTANCE MASEHLA – CONSTANCE MATSHENE – CRAIG ABRAHAMS – CRAIN SOUDIEN – DANA GAMPEL – DANIEL VAN WYK – DARREN KELLY-LOULIE – DARRYL HOWARD – DAVID DAVIDS – DAVID PRESSMAN – DAVID RYAN – DEAN EBDEN – DEBORAH BAILEY – DEON GROENEWALD – DIMITRI MARTINS – DNA BRAND SOLUTIONS – DONALD NXUMALO – DONALD STPIERE – EBEN LASSEN – ELIDJA SITOE – EMMA KAYE – EUSEBIUS MCKAISER – FANNEY TSHIMONG – FEISAL ISRAEL – GARTH FRENCH – GAYLENE PETERS – GEORGE MURUMBA – GERALD KRAAK – GINA TAGLIERI – GLENDA NOEMDOE – GRAHAM PATRICK – GUILLIAN CIRHUZA-KOKO – HAFEEZA RASHED – HARRIET TOLPUTT – HAZEL DE WET – HEETEN KALAN – HEINE VAN WYK – HERBIE AUCAMP – INGRID TUFVESSON – INKA VON STERNEFELS – ISABEL GOODMAN – ISE BOSCH – ISRAEL MQINGWANA – ITAI MUNYARADZI – ITUMELENG MAMABOLO – JACKIE HLONGWANE – JACQUELINE HART – JAY BADZA – JEAN PAUL WARMOES – JEFF ARNSTEIN – JODY COLE – JODY JACOBS – JOE MABILO – JOELINE HLONGWA – JOHAN FOURIE – JOHAN MINY – JOHN FRENCH – JOHN HARVEY – JON STRYKER – JONATHAN COHEN – JORG HASSENBACH – JOSEPH ROCK – JOSEPHE ROCK – JP POTGIETER – JULIANE HIESGEN – JULIE MOOSA FLETCHER – JUNIOR SIDZUMO – JUSTIN GOODMAN – KAITLIN DAVID – KARABO LEDIGA – KARABO NOINYANE – KEITH MUKAMI – KEVIN CHANG – KGOMOTSO KGASI – KHOLEKILE NDAMASE – KOBUS BOOYSEN – KRISTINE STALLONE – LALI MOLEYA – LAURIE ADAMS – LEBO MOTHIBE – LEE-ANN CHAIN – LERATO MOLEFE – LESEGO NGOBENI – LINDA JACOBS – LIOPELO MAPHATHE – LORING MCALPIN – LOUIS FOURIE – LUCKYBOY MKHONDWANE – LUIZ DE BARROS – MAKGANO MAMABOLO – MALUSI MAKHATHINI – MAMOHALE DIMEMA – MARC ABRAHAMS – MARC FLETCHER – MARC VAN BERGEN – MARINUS TERBLANCHE – MARION GREEN-THOMPSON – MARIUS VOS – MARK CANAVERA – MARY SIMONS – MCLEAN KWABE – MELODY MEMELA – MICHAEL ADEE – MICHAEL EDDY – MICHAEL FIELD – MICHELLE ADAMS – MIGUEL DE BRITO – MIRRIAM EDDING – MOLEBATSI TUKA – MPHO THULARE – MUZI MALINDISA – NDABA FUNDI – NDUDUZO NYANDA – NDUMISO MNGOMEZULU – NEDBANK PRIVATE WEALTH – NEIL MAYER – NEO MODISAKENG – NEVILLE GABRIEL – NEVILLE JEFTHA – NEVILLE MOUNTJOY – NHLANHLA NDABA – NKULULEKO NZMANDE – NOAH BERNSTEIN – NOLAN VAN ROOY – NOMA MOTSHOTSHI – NOMZAMO ZONDI – NONTOKOZO MADONSELA – NORMAN MEKGOE – NOXOLO HLONGWANE – NTOMBI KUNENE – ODETTE RAMSINGH – OLWETHU MLAWU – OUMA TEMA – OWEN MOKOENA – PATRICIA WATSON – PATRICK DE BREE – PEDRO RAMOS – PETER GEYER – PETROS ABRAHAM – PHUMI MASHIGO – PIERRE BUCKLEY – PIETER BASSON – REID WILLIAMS – RHINO AFRICA TOURS – RINALDO BOTHA – ROZ LEE – RUAN GOURTEY – RYAN VOLKYN – SAKKIE PRETORIUS – SAMUEL SHAPIRO – SANDRA SIANE – SANDY MOUNTJOY – SEBENZILE NKAMBULE – SELLO NZAMA – SHAKA SISULU – SHARI TURITZ – SHAUN BOOTH – SHAUN VILJOEN – SHEKESHE MOKGOSI – SHELDON PENTZ – SHEREEN JAMES – SIBUSISO MALUNGA – SIMO MVINJEWA – SINENHLANHLA LUTHULI – SIPHO MTHATHI – SIPHOKAZI NOMBANDE – SISANDA MSEKELE – SIVU YISIWE – SIYA NTSALUBA – SLOBODAN RANDJELOVIC – SOLOME LEMMA – SPENCER ECKSTEIN – STEFAN RIEKERT – STIAN LUDIK – STUART SCHEAR – SUE SOAL – SUPRIYA KALIDAS – SYLVESTER CHAUKE – TAKALANI MADZHADZHI – TEBOHO KLAAS – TERRENCE MECK – TERRENCE THONDHLANA – THABISO RATALANE – THAMI KOTLOLO – THAMI O’BRIAN – THAPELO SEKOMA – THATO LETLAPE – THEMBA KALI – THULILE MAHONGA – TOM MKHWANAZI – TRACY GARY – TUMELO KADIKA – TUMI MOHALE – TYRON POULTER – UKHAMBA GIVING PLATFORM – VIRGINIA MAGWAZA – VISTA KALIPA – VIVA LILES-WILKIN – VUYANE MHLOMI – WAYNE MEE – WELISWA RADEBE – WESLEY ADAMS – WINSTON BECKFORD – WYNAND ENGELBRECHT – XHANTI PAYI – YOLISWA MAKHASI – ZACK BOTHA – ZAI LOURENSE – ZAMO ZONDI – ZANDILE NZALO – ZANELE MABENA – ZETHU NKAMBULE – ZINGAPHI NGEWU – ZINI GODDEN – ZINTLE NWABISE – ZIYANDA MAJOZI

T1087/2013G | 168-094NPO | PBO930056168
Miguel DE BRITO [Mozambique] | Nalumino LIKWASI [Zambia] | Isabella MATAMBANADZO [Zimbabwe]
Alice MOGWE [Botswana] | Alan MSOSA [Malawi] | Xhanti PAYI [South Africa] |
Paula SEBASTIAO [Angola] | Caine YOUNGMAN [Botswana] | Neville GABRIEL (CEO)