Sedibeng Remembers Simon Nkoli with a Legacy Lecture.

The Sedibeng District Municipality, in partnership with the Vaal University of Technology and local LGBTQIA+ organisations, hosted the Simon Nkoli Legacy Lecture — a commemoration of one of South Africa’s most courageous freedom fighters and queer activists.

The event, themed “Breaking Barriers: The Simon Nkoli Legacy,” honoured Nkoli’s fearless activism in the anti-apartheid struggle, his pioneering advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights, and his groundbreaking courage as one of the first South Africans to publicly disclose his HIV-positive status.

The programme began with a documentary screening, poetry recitals, and an art exhibition exploring queer life under the theme Breaking Barriers. A special reading was done by Mpho Buntse from the Simon Nkoli Collective, who shared excerpts from his book dedicated to Nkoli’s life and work.The event brought together government officials, students, artists, and activists, reaffirming Sedibeng’s commitment to human rights, equality, and inclusion.

In her keynote address, Executive Mayor Cllr Lerato Maloka reflected on Nkoli’s enduring impact, linking his struggles to today’s fight for equality and dignity across all communities.

“Simon Nkoli’s courage continues to inspire us to be our own liberators,” said Mayor Maloka. “His life reminds us that our freedom is incomplete until every person — regardless of race, gender, or sexuality — can live without fear or prejudice. Divided, we fall; united, we rise.”

The lecture also paid tribute to activists such as Dr Beverly Ditsie, Phybia Dlamini, and Justice Edwin Cameron, who have carried forward Nkoli’s vision of an inclusive and just South Africa.

With participation from institutions such as the Gender Commission, IEC, VUT, and Sedibeng Vaal LGBTQIA+ Forum, the event marked the municipality’s ongoing support for diversity, equality, and social justice.

The Simon Nkoli Legacy Lecture closed with a call to action — to “glow” in honour of Nkoli’s organisation, the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) — by continuing his fight for equality and acceptance for all.