Cape Town - Cape Town’s LGBTQIA+ community has come under attack from People Against Gansgterism and Drugs (Pagad).
The attack comes as the Mother City celebrates the three-week-long Cape Town Pride Festival.
In a video that has emerged of Pagad national co-ordinator Haroon Orrie addressing a Pagad rally last Thursday, Pagad slated the community, saying its behaviour went against religious teachings.
Orrie said to cheers from his audience: “Those who support, those who promote LGBTQ and those who are involved in this type of behaviour, their punishment by the almighty God is death.
“Gun rights, homosexuality, prostitution and alcohol, drugs, theft, gambling, incest, you name it. This is the golden calf that the people are worshipping today in this country. So how do we expect to prosper and thrive as a nation if we go against the instruction of the divine creator?”
Orrie’s speech came as a media advocacy organisation defending the rights of lesbian, intersex and transgender persons, Iranti, was urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to commit state officials and resources to ensure an end to discrimination and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community.
The message from Pagad was issued ahead of a statement yesterday by the Western Cape government, saying it stood by the LGBTQIA+ community.
The provincial legislature building in Wale Street has been illuminated in the Pride rainbow colours to show solidarity with LGBTQIA+ citizens.
Cape Town Pride 2023 festival director Wentzel April said: “In light of the many atrocities within our colourful community, the lighting of the provincial legislature in the rainbow colours for Pride month symbolises the support, recognition and respect we need from the Western Cape government.”
April said the gesture also served as a reminder of those who had died as a result of violence and hate crimes.
Premier Alan Winde said: “This is a government and province of tolerance and acceptance, which welcomes and celebrates diversity.”
Speaker Daylin Mitchell said: “The annual lighting up of the legislature building reflects our ongoing support for the LGBTQIA+ community as we celebrate Cape Town Pride.”
Mayco member for urban mobility Roberto Quintas said the City was thrilled to be able to support Cape Town Pride and to “use the seat of the provincial government to showcase the event”.
Meanwhile, Cape Town Ulama Board executive member Sheikh Sayed Ridhwaan took issue with the province’s demonstration of support.
He said that while the board had sympathy with the plight of all communities and was opposed to discrimination and violence against any community, including the LGBTQIA+ community, they felt that the focus and attention was disproportionate.
“We fear as a community that the increased emphasis on this matter in the way it is being forced down our throats is going to result in the behaviour being normalised and actually contradicting the kind of upbringing that we are trying to give our children at home.”
Ridhwaan questioned why the same attention wasn’t given to the lives lost daily in the province’s poor and working class communities to drugs and gangsterism or even the lives lost in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
Last year, three learners from around the country died by suicide after they were allegedly bullied because of their sexuality.
The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) said the incidents underscored some of the barriers that LGBT learners encountered in schools across South Africa, such as bullying and homophobia, not only from their peers, but also from teachers.