Plans to hold a major anti-LGBTQ+ African “family values” conference in Cape Town next year are moving ahead, raising concerns that the continent’s anti-rights movement is preparing its most significant challenge yet to South Africa’s constitutional protections.
The Africa Christian Professionals Forum has confirmed that the third Pan-African Conference on Family Values will take place in Cape Town from 12 to 15 May 2027.
“Join Christian leaders, professionals, policymakers, parliamentarians, faith leaders, and family advocates from across Africa as we unite to defend the sanctity of human life, strengthen families, safeguard religious freedom, and promote Africa’s biblical and indigenous values,” the organisers said in a message seen by MambaOnline.
Why the Cape Town Location Matters
Earlier reports indicated that the conference’s South African organiser would be the Family Policy Institute, led by Errol Naidoo.
Naidoo is an outspoken anti-LGBTQ+ preacher and lobbyist who previously belonged to the African Christian Democratic Party.
The previous Pan-African Conference on Family Values was held in Nairobi in 2025. Delegates met in the Kenyan capital to coordinate opposition to LGBTQ+ equality, abortion rights and comprehensive sexuality education.
Choosing South Africa for the 2027 gathering is both a bold and symbolic decision.
South Africa is the only country on the continent whose Constitution explicitly protects LGBTQ+ people against discrimination and whose laws recognise same-sex marriage.
Holding the event there signals that the anti-rights movement is prepared to challenge progressive human rights protections in one of Africa’s most constitutionally inclusive nations.
Cape Town’s selection may also be connected to its international reputation as an LGBTQ+ travel destination.
The city, often described as Africa’s gay capital, is scheduled to host WorldPride in 2028 — a decision that has angered several local anti-LGBTQ+ campaigners.
LGBTQ+ Families Must Be Recognised, Group Says
Parents, Families and Friends of South African Queers said it was deeply concerned about events and initiatives “that frame a single understanding of family, human dignity, or values as the only legitimate perspective.”
PFSAQ managing director Dipuo Virginia Magwaza said the organisation respected the right of religious communities to gather and express their beliefs.
However, she said it became troubling when those platforms promoted narratives that excluded or delegitimised the experiences of many families.
PFSAQ said African families exist in numerous forms, including households raising LGBTQ+ children, single-parent and blended families, extended families, adoptive families and those led by grandparents.
“Every one of these families deserves recognition, dignity, and the opportunity to thrive,” Magwaza said.
“When conferences promote a narrow definition of family as the only acceptable model, they risk reinforcing stigma and discrimination against families whose experiences fall outside that definition. Such messaging can contribute to rejection, isolation, poor mental health, and increased vulnerability for LGBTIQ+ people and their loved ones.”
PFSAQ argued that religion, culture and African traditions should never be used to justify excluding or dehumanising people.
“We believe that faith, culture, and indigenous African values should never be used to justify the exclusion or dehumanization of any person. Across Africa, values such as ubuntu, compassion, respect, dignity, and community have long taught us that our humanity is bound together. These values call us to embrace, rather than reject, those who are different,” the organisation added.
OUT LGBT Well-being Calls for Coordinated Response
OUT LGBT Well-being human rights coordinator Sibonelo Ncanana-Trower warned that religious freedom and the right to peaceful assembly “must never be used to justify discrimination, exclusion, or the erosion of the constitutional and human rights of LGBTQ+ people.”
He called on South African civil society organisations to develop a unified response involving LGBTQ+, women’s rights, youth, health, legal, religious and broader human rights groups.
Ncanana-Trower also encouraged organisations to share positive, evidence-based stories reflecting the diversity of families and the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ Africans.
He called for engagement with affirming religious leaders and theologians “to demonstrate that religion is not represented by one viewpoint alone”.
Parallel discussions, community events and media campaigns could also be used to promote constitutional rights, inclusion, dignity and social cohesion, he said.
Ncanana-Trower suggested providing activists with support around media messaging, digital safety and the law, allowing them to respond accurately and calmly to misinformation.
He also urged civil society to work with political leaders and institutions “to reinforce South Africa’s constitutional commitment to equality, freedom, and non-discrimination.”
Monitoring and documenting hate speech and incitement would also be essential, he said, along with reporting any behaviour that breached South African law or recognised human rights standards.
“Families exist in many forms across Africa, and every person deserves dignity, equality, and protection from violence. We remain committed to engaging constructively, promoting evidence-based dialogue, and ensuring that no one is left behind,” Ncanana-Trower said.
Faith Organisation Defends LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Inclusive and Affirming Ministries, a Cape Town-based organisation supporting the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people within African faith communities, also urged South Africans to oppose attempts to weaken the rights of marginalised groups.
“As a nation that has fought hard for its democratic gains, South Africa and indeed South Africans must reject any rhetoric that seeks to undermine the liberties enshrined in our Constitution,” IAM director Rev Ecclesia de Lange told MambaOnline.
“As Inclusive and Affirming Ministries, we reaffirm our commitment to an Africa where all people can live openly, safely, and with dignity. We call on leaders to protect inclusion and to champion values of justice, and human flourishing for all.”
Anti-Rights Movement Expands Across Africa
The Cape Town gathering is part of a growing network of pan-African conferences seeking to mobilise religious, political and traditional leaders against the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people.
Critics say these movements also undermine democratic principles while presenting their campaigns as efforts to protect families and uphold so-called “African values”.
Such conferences have frequently received backing from wealthy conservative Christian organisations based in the United States and Europe.
Human rights advocates have described this foreign influence as a new form of colonialism, arguing that external groups are funding and promoting restrictive political agendas throughout Africa.
The 2027 conference is also expected to continue advocating for the proposed Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values to be adopted by African Union member states.
The draft charter seeks to exclude same-sex couples and their children from its definition of family.
It would also weaken human rights protections relating to sexuality, gender, reproductive healthcare and freedom of expression across the continent.
For South African LGBTQ+ organisations, the conference represents more than a gathering of conservative religious groups. They warn it could become a platform for coordinating policies that threaten established constitutional rights across South Africa and the wider African continent.
