STORY: Hundreds of people marched through central Cape Town on Saturday (February 28), for the city’s annual Pride Parade and Mardi Gras, celebrating LGBTQIA+ visibility while calling for greater equality and safety across Africa.

Participants waved rainbow flags and banners as they moved through the city to music, dancers and performers, and organisers said the event drew people from South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Despite the festive atmosphere, marchers stressed that Pride remained a political act. Many highlighted ongoing discrimination and warned of what they see as a rollback of protections for queer people. Participants from across the region said attending the parade was also an act of solidarity with those unable to march openly in their own countries.

“Pride means that you need to be authentic, you need to be bold, you need to be who you are,” said Adrian Oktober, a participant who was also crowned Mr Cape Town Pride.

Organisers said the annual event aims to amplify queer voices, promote inclusion and maintain pressure on governments and societies to ensure equality, justice and safety beyond South Africa’s borders.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (FEBRUARY 28, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. SCOTTISH BAGPIPE BAND PLAYING DURING PRIDE MARCH

2. PARTICIPANTS MARCHING CARRYING FLAG READING (English): "PRIDE @ MUTUAL / LOVE OUT LOUD WITH PRIDE, WHO YOU ARE IS BEAUTIFUL"

3. PARTICIPANT, ADRIAN OKTOBER, POSING

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARTICIPANT, ADRIAN OKTOBER, SAYING:

“Pride means that you need to be authentic, you need to be bold, you need to be who you are. Just be yourself. And I feel like today is one big celebration. This morning, I got so teared up, I got so emotional because I feel like being here today, representing so many other people, so many other queers, means so much to me. It's something close to my heart that I've always wanted.”

5. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANT, TATIJANA LOPEZ WALKING WHILE HOLDING PRIDE FLAG

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARTICIPANT, TATIJANA LOPEZ, SAYING:

“I'm here to make a political statement to say that I'm gay, I'm proud, and we are here, and despite all the hardship and everything that is happening around us, there's no way that we're going to go away.“

7. PARTICIPANT HOLDING PLACARD READING (English): “THE RIGHT TO EXIST IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE #TRANSRIGHTSAREHUMANRIGHTS”

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRIDE PARTICIPANT FROM ZIMBABWE, MASI ZHAKATA, SAYING:

“Sexuality in Zimbabwe is not taken so easily, and we've got a lot of anti homosexuality bills happening, not only in Zimbabwe, but around Africa. So this is our stance as Patshedu (Zimbabwean community based organisation) and everyone that is there to be able to come in and march for those that cannot be able to march and be a voice is for the most silenced one, and make sure that we are going to be taking our stance, making sure that we're going to be also walking for our rights as Patshedu, as anyone else that is walking in the spaces of LGBTIQ, saying that we can be able to do it for you. If you cannot march in Uganda, if you cannot march in Kenya, if you cannot march in Tanzania, if you cannot march in Ghana, we are doing it for you today at Cape Town Pride.”

9. PARTICIPANT HOLDING MAKESHIFT TOMBSTONE READING (English): “RIP QUEER RIGHTS 4 ALL”

10. PARTICIPANT, STELLA ROSÉ, SEATED IN VINTAGE CADILLAC / PARTICIPANTS WALKING BESIDE HER

11. ROSÉ WAVING TO PEOPLE

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARTICIPANT, STELLA ROSÉ, SAYING:

"Pride, for a lot of us, can be a celebration, but the fight is not done. Pride is still a protest and the concern of queer people everywhere to be the concern of queer people anyway. We, there are still a lot of inequality in the world, especially on the African continent. Queer rights are still a massive issue across the continent, and we need to be fighting for our queer brothers and sisters and siblings."

13. PEOPLE WALKING ACROSS PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PAINTED WITH PRIDE FLAG

14. PARTICIPANT STANDING IN A CAR / PARTICIPANTS WALKING

15. PARTICIPANT WALKING

16. PARTICIPANTS WAVING PRIDE FLAG WHILE STANDING ON PAVEMENT