Ugandan president signs anti-gay legislation law with death penaltyUganda's president has signed a new anti-gay legislation law, supported by many East African countries but condemned by human rights activists.
by Mariana Chiwaya
31-05-2023 12:32
in LGBTQIA
Uganda anti-LGBTIQ bill protests for Pretoria and Cape Town. Photo: Pexels
President Yoweri Museveni has signed a bill that does not criminalise those who identify as homosexual. This is a concern for many campaigners who condemned a draft that was presented earlier.
--
The new law still proposes the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality', which is defined as cases of sexual relations involving people infected with HIV, as well as with minors and other categories.
In this new bill, a suspect convicted of attempted aggravated homosexuality' can be sentenced to 14 years in prison. In a statement by the parliamentary speaker, Anita Among said, With a lot of humility, I thank my colleagues, the members of parliament for withstanding all the pressure from the bullies and doomsday conspiracy theorists of our country .
In Uganda, homosexuality has been criminalised from colonial times, it was illegal and was an activity against the order of nature . People who were charged with the offence were imprisoned.
--
ALSO READ: Eswatini Supreme Court hears LGBTIQ group's registration case
NGOs in South Africa demand termination of the new Ugandan law According to the Daily Maverick, the founders and representatives of Parents, Friends and Families of South African Queers (PFSAQ), Lerato la Basadi and Isikhala Women's Group, stand in solidarity with the LGBTIQ community in Uganda and they are demanding that the new law be terminated. They have deemed the law unjust'.
Following the news of the new bill passed in Uganda, the collective wrote We as a collective of South African NGOs dedicated to fighting gender-based violence and the challenges faced by LGBTIQ persons, write today with concern and urgency . They implore the Ugandan government to immediately repeal the law. It is of great concern that this is the second law of its nature in just ten years they wrote.
--
The NGO leaders have urged African leaders, especially those in South Africa and Uganda to take a stand for justice and compassion. In Africa, countries like Nigeria, Mauritania, and Somalia impose bans and imprisonment for homosexual people, with a few countries that make it possible for homosexual people to attain rights. South Africa is one of the countries in Africa that protects homosexual people.
ALSO READ: LGBTIQ rights in Africa: the state in the entire continent now
The progress we have made in advancing human rights and equality in our respective nations cannot be undermined by such regressive legislation . The leaders also called upon Africa to reject prejudice and to embrace diversity' in the continent.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY MARIANA CHIWAYA
SOCCER QUIZ | FIVE simple answers could win you R500 in cash! ENTER HERE
Africa Stories
02/10/2026
01 October 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an entity of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), is ...
01/10/2026
Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 September 2026 - The National Film and Video Foun...
23/09/2026
1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites applications from experienced producers who own or manage a South African product...
23/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
17/09/2026
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in partnership with the Nation...
16/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible South African pro...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
05/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/08/2026
14 August 2026 | Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), a...
14/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Ar...
08/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
28/07/2026
27 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
20/07/2026
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has released t...
09/07/2026
08 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
09/06/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body mandated to spearhead the equitable growth and development of the South African film and video...
19/05/2026
Press Release
18 May 2026, Johannesburg South Africa has been selected as the...
24/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
24/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
15/03/2026
Johannesburg, 14 March 2026 - On 13 and 14 March 2026, the 19th Annual South Afr...
12/03/2026
Johannesburg, 11 March 2026 - The 19th Annual South African Film and Television ...
03/03/2026
Click here for isiXhosa version.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers from Matatiele and surrounding areas to...
17/02/2026
Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and custodian of the SAFTAs, is calling on all South Afri...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the call for training provider submissions is open. This funding aims to award grants ...
06/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
04/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to participate in an exclusive creative showcase at the Annecy International...
02/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is calling for applications from experienced Sou...
29/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distribut...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
20/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
29/10/2025
It's not the wonders of the world that make a place; it's the people. As...
07/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
02/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
30/09/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 September 2025: The National Film and Video Found...
26/09/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Ar...
26/09/2025
https://www.nfvf.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/fully-Inclusive-nfvf-invitatio...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
Ugandan president signs anti-gay legislation law with death penaltyUganda's president has signed a new anti-gay legislation law, supported by many East African countries but condemned by human rights activists.
