2015 – Southern African Trans Forum (SATF) Established, Southern Africa
Established in 2015, the Southern African Trans Forum (SATF), is a pioneering regional alliance of trans-led and trans-centred organisations. Established in 2015, SATF is dedicated to building a unified, powerful movement for the rights and inclusion of trans and gender-diverse persons across Southern Africa. Their network provides a vital platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and collective advocacy, amplifying the voices of our members at both regional and international levels. The SATF operates as a dynamic, membership-based regional network. Their network comprises 19 trans-led organisations from across 10 Southern African countries.
Vision
An Africa that represents freedom, equality, dignity, bodily autonomy, and self-determination for all people.
Mission
The SATF advocates for the rights of trans and gender-diverse people through movement building and capacity enhancement of partner organizations within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Focus areas
- Health
- Legal and policy reform
- Movement building
- Data collection and research
History
The Southern African Trans Forum (SATF) experienced rapid growth in its early years. What began in 2014 as a loose network of only three or four trans-led organisations expanded to approximately ten organisations by 2015 and has since grown to include around twenty member groups across the region. Around 2016, Gender Dynamix (GDX) played a central role in consolidating the Forum’s structure by serving as its first fiscal host and secretariat. This development occurred alongside the implementation of the Key Populations REACH Programme, which aimed to strengthen the organisational capacity and leadership of trans and gender-diverse communities while amplifying their voices across Southern Africa. SATF was envisioned as a regional platform led by trans and gender-diverse people themselves, bringing together emerging movements to exchange knowledge, advance advocacy, and coordinate collective efforts related to health access, legal and policy reform, movement strengthening, and research and data development.
The Forum articulated a shared aspiration for an Africa grounded in freedom, equality, dignity, bodily autonomy, and self-determination. Its core mission focuses on advancing the rights of trans and gender-diverse communities through movement building and by strengthening the capacity of member organisations across the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Through a consultative process with member groups, SATF established a set of strategic priorities in 2015. These included the creation of a representative regional assembly, the development of a joint advocacy platform, and the strengthening of national trans organisations so they could effectively engage in advocacy and public awareness initiatives. Additional goals involved producing regional guidance on gender-affirming healthcare services and contributing to knowledge generation and data collection on trans issues.
Membership in SATF was intentionally designed to include both established organisations and emerging groups that were in the process of transitioning toward trans-led leadership. To support leadership development across the region, the Forum adopted a rotational governance approach in which coordination and chairing responsibilities move between member organisations every two to three years. An Interim Committee was established to guide the Forum’s institutional development, including drafting foundational governance policies, facilitating engagement through country-based clusters, developing a regional database on transgender issues, mobilising resources, and strengthening the Forum’s collective identity.
From around 2016 onwards, SATF became an important catalyst for the expansion of trans-led organising throughout Southern Africa. Members frequently highlighted the emergence of new trans-led organisations as one of the Forum’s most significant achievements. Regional gatherings created spaces for activists to learn from one another, build solidarity, and collaborate on shared priorities. These convenings also inspired many activists—who had previously worked within broader LGBTI organisations or operated individually—to establish independent trans-led initiatives in their respective countries.
Rather than registering as a standalone legal entity, the Forum deliberately chose to remain an informal regional network. Members expressed concern that formal registration could centralise donor funding and unintentionally limit the development of national trans-led organisations. Consequently, SATF continues to function as a collaborative platform in which Gender Dynamix provides fiscal hosting and administrative support while maintaining the autonomy and leadership of the participating organisations.
Contact
Website
Email: info@sat-f.com / support@sat-f.com.com
Facebook
SATF members
- Gender Dynamix (GDX) – South Africa
- Health Empowerment Rights (HER) – Botswana
- House of Empowerment and Awareness in Tanzania (HEAT) – Tanzania
- Iranti Org – South Africa
- LAMBDA – Mozambique
- Lesbians Intersex Trans and Other Extensions (LITE) – Malawi
- LGBTI Sey – Seychelles
- Matimba – South Africa
- The People’s Matrix Association (Matrix) – Lesotho
- Tanzania Trans Initiative (TTI) – Tanzania
- Trans and Intersex Rising Zimbabwe (TIRZ) – Zimbabwe
- Trans Intersex Androgynous Movement of Namibia (TIAMON) – Namibia
- Trans Researcher Education Advocacy and Training (TREAT) – Zimbabwe
- Trans Swati – Eswatini
- Trans Wellness Project (TWP) – South Africa
- Transbantu Zambia (TBZ) – Zambia
- Transgender and Intersex Africa (TIA) – South Africa
- TransSmart – Zimbabwe
- Wings to Transcend Namibia (WTTN) – Namibia
