By Noko Mashilo
Ululations, dancing and songs filled the venue as Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, received the prestigious Emerging Leader Award at the International Pride Awards during WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 on Wednesday.
The standing ovation from the audience reflected international recognition of a leader whose lifelong commitment to equality, human dignity and social justice has inspired many across South Africa and beyond.
Accepting the award, Letsike said her appointment as Deputy Minister demonstrates that LGBTIQ+ leaders are increasingly taking their rightful place in positions of leadership and governance.
“I have the privilege, on behalf of my government, particularly the African National Congress, to serve in the leadership of the 7th Administration as the Deputy Minister in the Presidency. As a Black queer woman, I stand on the shoulders of pioneers such as filmmaker Beverley Palesa Ditsie and countless activists from South Africa, the Global North and the Global South.
“Those who are contesting in politics, we must support them as they occupy spaces of leadership. We have not left the social justice movement; we are here to transform government, change laws and strengthen democratic institutions. We must never stop because lives are at stake, and we are part of the solution. I call on all of you to join me in this struggle because we cannot squander the freedom we have achieved,” she said.
In a statement, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities said the Emerging Leader Award recognises an individual who is “reimagining LGBTIQ+ liberation for a new generation.”
According to the Department, the award speaks directly to one of the defining challenges of our time: ensuring that a new generation carries forward the struggle for LGBTIQ+ liberation in an increasingly complex political environment.
The Department noted that the International Pride Awards, a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ILGA World, honour courageous individuals advancing equality, freedom and safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ people, often in countries where such work carries significant personal and political risks.
The Department said Deputy Minister Letsike’s recognition is especially significant because it acknowledges “a leadership journey rooted in activism and now carried into the institutions of democratic governance.”
“For decades, Deputy Minister Letsike has been part of South Africa’s struggle for equality and social justice, advancing the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons while insisting that the fight against homophobia, transphobia and gender inequality cannot be separated from the broader struggles against racism, patriarchy, poverty and economic exclusion,” the statement said.
Receiving the award, Letsike dedicated the honour to generations of activists who paved the way for today’s movement.
“I receive this recognition with profound humility because no struggle for human dignity is ever the work of one person. I stand on the shoulders of generations of activists who fought when it was dangerous to be visible, dangerous to speak and, for many, dangerous simply to exist as themselves.
“Every generation must define what liberation demands of it. Young people today face new technologies, new forms of disinformation and surveillance, new expressions of exclusion and a highly organised global movement seeking to reverse rights we once believed were secure. Yet I remain hopeful because I see in this generation the courage, imagination and determination not only to defend the freedoms we have won, but to take the struggle for liberation even further,” she said.
The Department emphasised that the Emerging Leader Award is not merely an individual honour but international recognition of South Africa’s and Africa’s continuing struggle for human dignity.
It also rejected the notion that LGBTIQ+ equality is foreign to the African continent.
“Africa possesses its own histories of diversity, resistance, solidarity and human dignity. Our task is to ensure that the next generation of African activists can claim this history, shape its future and advance an African vision of liberation that leaves no one behind,” the Department said.
Congratulating Deputy Minister Letsike and all recipients of the 2026 International Pride Awards, the Department said the recognition should renew the world’s collective commitment to building societies where no young person is forced to hide their identity in order to survive, and where equality is defended not only when it is convenient, but especially when it is under attack.
