Simon Nkoli
South African gay rights, AIDS, and anti-apartheid activist (1957-1998) · South Africa · On the map · Activists · Died at 41
Simon Tseko Nkoli was an anti-apartheid, gay rights, and AIDS activist in South Africa. Active in the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), the United Democratic Front (UDF), and the Vaal Civic Association, he was imprisoned as one of the Delmas 22 in 1984.
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A typical day, 30 days to 20 September 2026
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Anti-apartheid protest in South Africa in the 1980s
Casspir police vehicle
The Palace of Justice in Pretoria (1988), where the latter part of the Delmas Treason Trial was held
Poster for South Africa's first pride march in October 1990
Nkoli's partner Roy Shepherd (L) at South Africa's first pride march in October 1990
Simon Nkoli at South Africa's first pride march in October 1990About this person
After his acquittal in 1988, he founded the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) and organized South Africa's first pride march. His activism influenced the African National Congress (ANC) to enshrine gay rights in the South African constitution. One of the first South Africans to disclose that he was living with HIV/AIDS, Nkoli founded the Township AIDS Project to provide HIV prevention services to Black South Africans. After his death from AIDS-related complications, his colleagues established the Treatment Action Campaign which successfully lobbied the government to expand access to HIV treatment.
