Mpho Falinthenjwa
was a a student at Leshata Secondary School, in South Johannesburg.
Mpho’s sister,
Thando Kutumela, told PinkNews that their parents found the
teenager unconscious at 9pm on 2 June. They rushed him to the hospital, but he
died later that night. Kutumela said that Mpho left behind a note saying his
final goodbyes to his family.
Kutumela says
before the tragedy, their family life had seemed normal.
“My parents
said that Mpho was very happy,” she said. “Nothing seemed suspicious in their
eyes, Mpho even cooked for them that day.”
However,
Kutumela said that Mpho was being subjected to constant bullying and homophobic
name-calling at school and even in the street.
She said that
in one incident at school, other pupils called him isitabane, which
is a derogatory Zulu word for gay.
Kutumela said that her brother had not come out to the family, but on his Facebook profile described himself as “certified gay”.
A few days
before Mpho took his life, on 28 May, he posted a Facebook update that said:
“Def At My Lowest R.n But I’ll Surely Bounce Back.”
Describing her
younger brother, Kutumela said: “Mpho was fun to be around. He brought smiles
and laughter inside the home. He was reserved and bubbly and at times loud. He
enjoyed singing and dancing a lot.”
Kutumela says
she is still in shock over losing her brother.
“I’m
heartbroken and torn apart,” she said, adding that if she could see him
one more time she would tell him “he was my everything and I did not want to
lose him and that I love him so much”.
“May his
innocent soul rest in peace,” she added.
There are no
laws against being LGBTQ+ in South Africa and there are some laws protecting
queer people from discrimination.
However,
homophobic attitudes remain, often driven by
religion.
SOURCE: PINK NEWS
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