Episode Information

Crime of Hate: Funeka’s Story is a 52 minute documentary set in Cape Town, South Africa. The film centres on an extraordinary black lesbian activist called Funeka Soldaat. Through her, we are able to get to the heart of a chilling phenomenon known as “corrective” or “curative” rape that is sweeping across South Africa. As its name suggests, it is a form of punishment that is being meted out to black lesbian women in a bid to “correct” their sexuality. In its most brutal form, victims are raped and then murdered. Funeka survived such an attack by a group of five men. She was also stabbed eleven times, because of her sexual orientation, in a separate incident. As a result of these horrific experiences, she started an NGO called Free Gender. She lives and works in the sprawling township of Khayelitsha on the outskirts of Cape Town where being openly lesbian is a deadly combination.