Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Itâs Lesbians vs Police in South African Township International and African human rights groups are reporting great increases in discrimination against gays and lesbians on the continent. They say many of these people are being assaulted and even murdered. In some countries â like South Africa â they say lesbians in particular are being targeted. In South Africaâs Vosloorus township, women involved in same-sex relationships say gangs are raping them. They say the police â instead of helping them â are themselves abusing them. Darren Taylor | Vosloorus, South Africa February 03, 2011 Photo: D. Taylor Lesbian literature published in South Africa A group of women sing and gyrate outside a police station in Vosloorus, an impoverished township to the east of Johannesburg. Perspiration pastes the T-shirts theyâre wearing to their ebony skins. The fiery sun reflects off the placards theyâre waving, some of which read, âEND POLICE HOMOPHOBIAâ and âLESBIANS ARE PEOPLE, TOO.â Phumzile Nkosi, a local member of the Coalition of African Lesbians, says, âWe are angry because we have made statements to the police because lesbians here have been raped. But thereâs nothing being done.â Soweto Gay Pride South African lesbians at a recent protest against killings of women involved in same-sex relationships But Brigadier Max Masha, chief of the local police, says as far as heâs aware there havenât been any âtruly seriousâ crimes against lesbians reported to his office in recent years.    Local lesbians, however, scoff at the mere mention of the Vosloorus police. Nkosi says, âThis police station (is) a bad place. If you think of coming here, itâs like â âOh hell no, I am going to a small hell.ââ Sweeto Makghai explains, âI came here to report a case, and they treated me as if I was the criminal. They had to interview me first. (They joked), âAre you male or female?â When I say, âIâm a female,â they just looked at (me). They donât know their story at all. Maybe they need more training, I donât know.â Vania Cruz, another lesbian living in Vosloorus, says âhomophobesâ assaulted her last year, and when she reported the case to the police, the officers were âslowâ to take her statement, and also âmade jokesâ about her. D. Taylor Phumzile Nkosi, a member of the Coalition of African Lesbians in Vosloorus, South Africa, claims that the local police are âhomophobicâ International human rights groups claim the Vosloorus police and the South African police in general discriminate against homosexuals. Natasha Vally, of the countryâs Lesbian and Gay Equality Project, says the South African police often âbrutalizeâ lesbians in particular, while making âhomophobic slurs.â She adds, âIn Vosloorus not too long ago, six women were beaten up in police custody.â Masha denies these allegations, emphasizing, âWhen we serve the community, we donât first ask people what sexual orientation they are. We serve everyone equally.â âThey touched my private partsâ The Brigadier insists the Vosloorus lesbians have a âvendettaâ against the police because of two âscenesâ from the recent past. âThe first one is they were drunk in public. And the law of this country says someone who is drunk in public must be arrested. They were arrested,â he says. D. Taylor Brigadier Max Masha, Vosloorus police chief, denies that he and his police officers are discriminating against lesbians Nkosi denies they have ever been intoxicated in public. âWe were at a private party when they arrested us for drinking in public. It was at a private venue. The police later released us without charge, because they knew we would be found innocent in court.â Masha continues, âThe second incident involving them is when they were having a big party at four oâ clock in the morning.... Community members phoned us complaining about the noise. We went to attend to that complaint. And they (the lesbians) got arrested because they refused to stop making a noise and resisted arrest.â The lesbians acknowledge they had a party, but have a different version of how events unfolded. âWe were actually attacked by the police,â claims Eric Sehaole, a DJ at the party. âThey came in; they didnât ask any questions; they didnât give us any warning; they just went in there, and took everyone. We were thrown into the (police) vans and brought to this (Vosloorus) police station.â The host of the party was Thandi Francisco, who says, âThe police stormed into the house and attacked us with pepper spray. Then when we all ran out the house, everybody was arrested.â D. Taylor Vosloorus lesbians â Ndondo Nene (left) and Vania Cruz â say the police laugh at them when they try to report crimes against themselves She goes on to say, âI wanted to walk, but they dragged me to a police van. They are very homophobic; they had great fun touching my private parts. They said they were checking to see if I am a girl or a boy.â Masha responds, âThey (the lesbians) are just lying blatantly! We said to them, âOpen a case (against the officers who allegedly did this); give us a statement so that we can open a case.â But they did not want to open a case. So we canât investigate (this allegation) if thereâs no statement.â Nkosi says thereâs âno pointâ in filing charges against Mashaâs police officers, given that past cases involving lesbians âjust disappearâ at the Vosloorus police station. She adds, âWe know the police wonât investigate themselves!â Nkosi says if she and her fellow lesbians could afford to pay legal fees, theyâd sue the police for their alleged âabuse of power.â   Masha denies Nkosiâs claims. He stresses, âIf charges are laid against my police officers, South Africa has a special division that will investigate such charges, at no cost to the complainants.â D. Taylor A lesbian resident of Vosloorus, Sweeto Makghai, says the South African police treat lesbians like criminals Gays and lesbians also in police service The police commander says âit doesnât make senseâ for the police to discriminate against homosexuals because the service is âfilled with officers who are gay and lesbian. So, we are not discriminating at all. In this station, there are people who are gays and lesbians, and we work with them. So we donât have a problem with them.â  Masha insists local lesbians are making âall these false allegationsâ against his officers because they want international funding. He says, âFrom my point of view, theyâre trying to use the police to build their own profile.â But he repeatedly emphasizes that the Vosloorus police remain dedicated to âgood relationsâ with the local lesbian community. âWe want to serve them. We want them on our side,â he says. âIt is to our advantage that we are on good terms with them, because they are our eyes there in the community to see when crime is committed. So they are actually our helpers.â D. Taylor The entrance to the Vosloorus police station, scene of lesbian protests against local officers who are alleged to be anti-gay Masha is being âvery optimistic,â says Nkosi, explaining, âObviously, if the policeâs attitude changes towards us and they prove themselves willing to investigate crimes committed against us, we will help them. But not until then.â Local and international NGOs say the extreme tension between lesbians and the Vosloorus police is mirrored in communities across South Africa, with few signs of any future reconciliation. .