The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project spent more than R40 000 on a billboard advert intended to promote the idea of same sex marriage at a cricket match in Centurion.
The expenditure has been cited as an example of the alleged misuse of funds by South Africa’s major gay organisation, whose work has been put on hold until the findings of an internal audit have been made public.
Gay activists and publications are at loggerheads over whether former Equality Project director Evert Knoesen, who has been suspended, is the victim of a hate campaign, or whether he should bear responsibility for the collapse of the organisation.
On June 15 the gay website Mambaonline reported that both the board of the Equality Project and its major funder, Atlantic Philanthropies, vowed to continue to support the organisation. However, by Thursday the Equality Project office had been packed up and its staff of six retrenched.
Chairperson of the board Jonathan Berger confirmed that the board has not yet been dissolved and intends to make the findings of the internal audit public. “We want people to understand what went on, so that other organisations don’t make the same mistakes,” Berger said.
He said once board members realised that “we were in a serious financial mess, we stopped incurring costs”. Berger argued that it was unreasonable to expect the board to have “micromanaged or authorised every payment”.
Mambaonline reported that gay and lesbian activists met on June 25 to discuss the future of the annual gay and lesbian Pride celebration due to take place in September. While the celebration has not been the responsibility of the Equality Project it was agreed months ago that, after Pride’s mismanagement in previous years, it would be coordinated by the Equality Project.
Now with the suspension of the Equality Project, organisation for the event has been taken over by Paul Tilley, a former Equality Project employee.
Tilly said he did not know whether the Equality Project’s involvement had been presented to the board, but news of its involvement had been reported in the press. He said that he was in discussion with potential corporate sponsors, stakeholders and Johannesburg city representatives, and events would be centered around Constitution Hill.
Tilly said he was not aware of any mismanagement by Knoesen. Knoesen was unavailable for comment, but Mambaonline reported in June that he “strongly denied any wrongdoing”.