As a result, the organisation has urged police to do more to
find those responsible for the murder and rape of Noxolo
Nogwaza.
She was stoned and stabbed on 24 April after a row in a bar in
KwaThema township, east of Johannesburg.
Nogwaza's face and head were completely disfigured by the stoning,
she was stabbed several times with broken glass and - according to
the HRW - the evidence suggests that she was raped.
A beer bottle, a large rock, and used condoms were said to be
found on and near her body.
Currently, nobody has been arrested.
"Nogwaza's death is the latest in a long series of sadistic crimes
against lesbians, gay men, and transgender people in South Africa,"
said Human Rights Watch researcher Dipika Nath.
"The vicious nature of the assault is a potent reminder that these
attacks are premeditated, planned, and often committed with
impunity."
Human Rights Watch said that the attack against Nogwaza is
reminiscent of the rape and murder of another activist, Eudy
Simelane, in Kwa-Thema, April 2008.
Both were "out" as lesbians in the community, both were tortured
and sexually assaulted before being killed, and the bodies of both
were dumped in public places.
Two of the perpetrators in Simelane's case were found guilty and
given prison sentences in 2009, but hate was never ruled as a
motive in the crime.
