by Karabo Ntanzi
Kunene Street in Galeshewe will never be the same without the brutally murdered Tankiso “AKA” TK Esther Tawayane. According to an activist for Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, Apostle Shane Griqua, TK was the ninth member of the LGBTQI++ in South Africa to be murdered since the beginning of 2022.
Members of the LBTQI++ community, Security Officers, friends and families came to bid farewell to the soft and caring soul. However, the message was clear they lost hope in the police. Other mourners came from Kathu, Postmaburg and other parts of North West Province.
There was a strong presence of the colours of the rainbow “rocked” in different regalia, from pants, head wraps, dresses and flags, to mention a few.
A distraught Palesa Musa, the deceased brother, pleaded for God’s vengeance, not justice. He said “God knows why this happened but this is not his will”. He spoke fondly of his sister, who did not want to be
addressed as aunty by her nieces and nephews, “she insisted that they call her uncle”, he informed mourners.
Tankiso’s best friend forever, Segametsi Moeng, said she was still reeling in shock by what happened. Their friendship span from primary school. Hence she tolerated the deceased character of being unreliable. She praised TK’s for mentoring and guidance when she came out of the closet. She appealed to community members to live in harmony, forgive and be kind to each other.
A colleague from Defensor Security Company, Inspector Mthimkhulu, questioned if men are fulfilling their purpose in life. “It is only God who created her in the way that she was and no one had the right to take that life”, he stated. Mthimkhulu took the opportunity to educate the public about the challenges faced by Security Officers, “people often look down on us as if all of us are illiterate”. He requested the public to respect protocol.
Councilor Nolitye from Ward 5, expressed shock at the “entitlement” by certain individuals to women’s bodies.” We should be vocal about crimes committed against women and children because often cases get lost in the system”, cried out Nolitye. He encouraged women to walk away from abusive relationships. He informed mourners about the recent Northern Cape government GBVF summit, where several issues were discussed and recommendations were made to the government by civil society.
Before the sermon, the Reverend from the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) took a few minutes and shared his experience with crime and the low conviction rate.
The 35year old was buried on 15 October 2022 and the perpetrators were not yet apprehended at the time of the funeral.
Tankiso leaves behind her brother Palesa, two siblings and other family members from the Tawanyane and Musa clan.
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