Edited by Fikile Mazambani

Anele ‘Anza’ Khaba, KwaThema Community Hall, Springs, Johannesburg, 2011

AneIe Khaba is a young black woman, born in Heidelburg on the 30th of May 1992 and was raised in Springs, Kwa-Thema.
She lived with her parents and would spend time at her grandmothers’ as well until 2012 when she moved to be on her own.
She moved to Midrand and then to Bramley where she currently lives alone.

Khaba who has two siblings, a brother and a sister who still reside with her parents, is very close to her family.
She visits her parents and siblings on most weekends.
She says “I capture people’s hearts, eyes and smiles. I’m a very kind, friendly and understanding person.”
She says she is proud of who she is but her sexuality does not define who she is as a person.

Her family knows about her sexual orientation she says. ”I first came out to myself when I was 12 years although it was kind of confusing. My family was understanding and supportive.” Her family has met her girlfriend whom she says she is committed to.
They have been in a committed relationship for close to a year now.

A Desktop Support Engineer at ABSA capital in Sandton, Khaba has a serious side to her when it comes to issues of social justice around lesbians.
“One thing I don’t like is the “corrective rape” term, like how can you rape someone – a crime and violation – and think you are correcting something?”
Homophobic attacks sadden her because she says “we don’t do anything wrong, we are not harming anyone.
We are just living our lives!”

She says she is “enforcing my existence!”

Anele ‘Anza’ Khaba, KwaThema, Springs, Johannesburg, 2010.
Featuring in Faces & Phases by Zanele Muholi

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