{"id":90893,"date":"2025-10-02T14:01:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T14:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month"},"modified":"2025-10-02T14:53:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T14:53:44","slug":"nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month","title":{"rendered":"NYDA appoints first openly LGBTIQA+ board member during Pride Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has introduced Busisiwe Nxumalo as the first openly LGBTIQA+ board member in its history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis milestone signals the agency\u2019s vision of inclusivity at every level of youth leadership and development,\u201d the NYDA said on social media. \u201cIt is not merely symbolic but a clear representation of institutional commitment to ensuring that the agency\u2019s programmes, policies and resources reflect the full diversity of South Africa\u2019s young people.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Nxumalo and other members in July. Their three-year term started officially in August. Nxumalo was an advocacy and research consultant at the Southern African Liaison Office with a focus on human rights, advocacy and foreign policy. Nxumalo\u2019s appointment comes as the country marks Pride Month this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s Pride tradition is deeply rooted in the struggle for equality. The continent\u2019s first Pride march was held in Johannesburg in 1990, a courageous act of defiance in the final years of apartheid. At a time when homosexuality was criminalised and queer individuals faced widespread stigma and violence, activists like Simon Nkoli bravely linked the fight for LGBTIQA+ rights with the broader anti-apartheid movement,\u201d said the NYDA.<\/p>\n

Simon Nkoli was a South African activist who fought against different forms of oppression. He fought for those downtrodden because of their \u201crace\u201d, ostracised because of their HIV status and persecuted because of their sexual orientation.<\/p>\n

Our efforts will extend into rural and peri-urban areas where young queer people often experience the harshest forms of marginalisation. No community is too far and no young person should be left behind.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dr Sunshine Myende, NYDA executive chair
\nThe agency said it is committed to creating a society where young people could live authentically, thrive and shape the future regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or background.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis legacy establishes Pride as both a celebration of visibility and an enduring protest against injustice, a symbol of resilience that continues to inspire the ongoing work for full equality and safety particularly in rural and marginalised communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

NYDA executive chairperson Dr Sunshine Myende said the agency will use Pride Month to highlight both inclusion and economic empowerment. \u201cThroughout Pride Month, the NYDA will be present across the country, actively engaging in Pride programmes and providing business development support to LGBTIQA+ owned businesses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As part of this effort, the agency said it has partnered with the Thami Dish Foundation, an established non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering young individuals from the gay community. The foundation was founded by Thami \u201cDish\u201d Kotlolo, a social entrepreneur, human rights advocate and creator of the Feathers Awards.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur efforts will extend into rural and peri-urban areas where young queer people often experience the harshest forms of marginalisation. No community is too far and no young person should be left behind,\u201d said Myende.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Africa<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has introduced Busisiwe Nxumalo as the first openly LGBTIQA+ board member in its history. \u201cThis milestone signals the agency\u2019s vision of inclusivity at every level of youth leadership and development,\u201d the NYDA said on social media. \u201cIt is not merely symbolic but a clear representation of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":90892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-90893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nNYDA appoints first openly LGBTIQA+ board member during Pride Month - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has introduced Busisiwe Nxumalo as the first openly LGBTIQA+ board member i ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NYDA appoints first openly LGBTIQA+ board member during Pride Month\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has introduced Busisiwe Nxumalo as the first openly LGBTIQA+ board member i ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T14:01:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T14:53:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2025\/10\/sm_1759403910.429534.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"NYDA appoints first openly LGBTIQA+ board member during Pride Month\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T14:01:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T14:53:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month\"},\"wordCount\":491,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2025\/10\/sm_1759403910.429534.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/nyda-appoints-first-openly-lgbtiqa-board-member-during-pride-month\",\"name\":\"NYDA appoints first openly LGBTIQA+ board member during Pride Month - 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