South African Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, has acknowledged the thousands of signatures delivered by activists.
Gigaba announced yesterday that U.S. pastor Steven Anderson will be denied entry into South Africa. The decision comes as a result of a campaign launched by global LGBT organization All Out, in partnership with Gay SA Radio. Steven Anderson gained notoriety after celebrating the massacre at a gay club in Orlando, saying ‘there’s now 50 less pedophiles in the world’. He planned to go to South Africa on what he described as a ‘soul winning’ trip.
“We’ve seen how U.S. religious extremists have fuelled violence and hate against LGBT people in other parts of Africa. It’s inspiring to see that the South African Government has made a stand for human rights and for the protection of their hate speech laws and constitution,” said Matt Beard, All Out’s Executive Director.
All Out’s partner, Gay SA Radio’s Station Manager Hendrik Baird, also lauded Minister Malusi Gigaba “for taking this matter seriously and for coming to the right decision that is in the best interests of South Africa.”
In his announcement, Minister Gigaba said “we have a duty to prevent harm and hatred in all forms against LGBTI, as any other person in a democratic state,” adding that “I have considered carefully the merits of this matter. Steven Anderson and members/associates of his church are prohibited from entering the Republic of South Africa. I have identified Anderson and associates as undesirable persons. Undesirable persons are barred from travelling to South Africa.” He also acknowledged the importance of the more than 60,000 signatures he received last week in raising the issue.
The decision was based on section 29(1)(d) of South Africa’s Immigration Act, which allows the country to deny entry to any foreigner who is a “member of or adherent to an association or organization advocating the practice racial hatred or social violence.”
He is going to Botswana and there is a petition to stop him as well! Please sign it, it has gathered nearly 1500 signatures already
Furnish us with the link.
I know Nigerians are deeply homophobic but I don’t think Nigerian churches will welcome this man.
You need to listen to his sermons on YouTube! They are vile and disgusting!
Like the South African minister said, you can only escape his wrath if you are White, male and baptist!
It’s fantastic how much power the SA LGBT wielded in changing the course of homophobia into their country. I envy them really.
Dennis, are you sure about that faith you placed on Nigerian churches? I mean, it IS Nigerian ‘Christians’ who lynch gay men. And churches are made up of the people.
No major Nigerian church will subscribe to his doctrine I tell you!
His brand of hate is on another level and its not just for homosexuals; women and people of color were not excluded!
He even insulted the Pope!!!
NIGERIANS lynch gay men,not just Nigerian ‘Christians’.
I get the need to call out the wolves in sheep clothing in our midst,but that was doing it too brown.The mob that killed Akin had no religious colouration.
And yes,major Nigerian churches would spurn this man.
You don’t have to highlight Nigerians or act like I’m coming for Christians. I was speaking in context. All you did with this defensive rebuttal was take my comments out of context. You know, not everything I say that seems like an attack on Christianity is done with malicious intent.
Malicious intent or no,you did gun for Christians.No twisting of it.
Again,the mob that lynched Akin had no religious coloration.
If you weren’t taking taking a potshot,you wouldn’t have specified the section of Nigerians.
And now, someone has privately taken issue with the last part of my comment. So I’ll rephrase.
I do not attack Christianity with the things I say. If my opinions or remarks are perceived as so, then it’s a loss in translation. Nothing I can do about that. I’m too indolent to even have the disposition to take on religion. I simply do not have the energy or time, or think of myself as someone knowledgeable enough to argue the opposition.
Anything I say about religion is either contextual or pertaining to humour, never malicious.
I was speaking contextually, oga. Why don’t you hop down from your horse of religious defensiveness and ask what context? Heck, you’re intelligent. You should even be able to figure it out from Dennis’s comment.
Jeezuz! You religious warriors can be so exasperatingly short-sighted. (Now THAT was a potshot).
Hahahahahahahaha
Mu,a religious warrior?.
Sweetheart,I’m not even religious in that sense not to talk of warring for religion.
I disdain ‘religion’,especially as practiced in Nigeria.A Christian,but the kind that worship in spirit n in truth.I believe God can fight for Himself,so no need holding forth for Him.i
Sorry,you wasted your shot.
Having said all that,calling you out on that faux pas was for you to take note n make amends,not these gymnastics you’re engaging in.
The context there is as clear as the noonday,no misreading of it.You went for christians.
It was ill-thought out,you got caught n called out.Take the reprimand in good grace n move on.
You know, just because you say something doesn’t make it right. A sensible human being would’ve asked me what my intent was. But no, not TDC. He sees all, knows all and judges accordingly. What galls me is I truly wasn’t even going after Christianity. Merely making a point to Dennis. And then, this judge and jury for Christ blows in with some kind of ‘I know what you did last summer’ attitude.
Oga, i’m tired of haggling this issue with you. This your authoritarian stance on what you presume people intend has become boring. I’ll try my damnedest to start ignoring your ‘calling out’ in future. Responding to you appears to feed some sort of ego you have.
Do we have a Minister of Interior sef? I’ll bet he’d roll out drums and red carpet to welcome him
I think what pink is saying is in any srowd that lynch a gay person, it is possible that one christian is there, not that they call themselves Nigerian Christians going ‘on’ gay men. Again Hope get this