In 1994 apartheid ended in South Africa and Nelson Mandela was elected president. He promised in his inauguration speech to \u201cbuild a society in which all South Africans will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts ... a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.\u201d These promises were enshrined in South Africa\u2019s post-apartheid constitution, the first in the world to outlaw all forms of discrimination. <\/p>
In 1994 Motshidisi Pascalina Melamu was born, making her one of the first of the so-called \u2018born free generation\u2019. Pasca, as she was known, dreamed of becoming a politician, and studied hard at school. She loved singing, dancing and football. And girls - Pasca was a lesbian.<\/p>
In December last year, Pasca\u2019s body was found in a field. She had been beaten and mutilated. She was one of three LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex) people murdered in a six-week period last year. Hate crimes against the LGBTI community have long been a problem in South Africa, and the government has tried to tackle them. But activists say these recent crimes are just one sign that things aren\u2019t getting better. James Fletcher travels to the townships south of Johannesburg to speak with Pasca\u2019s family and friends, and to ask whether the government is failing LGBTI South Africans.<\/p>\n