Govt condemns Ngizwe Mchunu's hateful anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has condemned hateful remarks made against the LGBTQIA+ community by artist Ngizwe Mchunu. Deputy Minister Steve Letsike said, "soft violence, the words, jokes and comments that demean, exclude, and incite hatred are never harmless."
Image credit: Nazareno Caggiano on Dupe Photos
In a video circulated on social media, Mchunu denounced same-sex marriages and called for queer people to leave South Africa.
Undermining Constiution
Letsike warned that the remarks are not only deeply offensive but also undermine the hard-won constitutional freedoms that guarantee dignity, equality, and non-discrimination for all people in the country.
“South Africa’s democracy is anchored in the values of equality, human dignity, and freedom. Attacks on queer persons are attacks on the very heart of our constitutional promise,” Letsike said in a statement.
Letsike stressed that the South African Constitution is an intersectional document, born at the intersection of race, gender, class and culture.
“It promises not only formal equality but substantive equality that takes account of history, of context, and of the deep wounds of apartheid and patriarchy. As government, we affirm that marriage equality is not a privilege but a constitutional right.
“The Civil Union Act (of 2006), passed nearly two decades ago, remains a testament to South Africa’s commitment to justice and equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation,” the deputy minister said.
Referred to SAHRC
She said the ministry has formally referred the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for investigation. The commission, a Chapter 9 institution, plays an important role in protecting and advancing human rights in our country.
Letsike also called on all faith leaders, including traditional leaders, artists, educators, politicians and community leaders, to use their voices to dismantle systems of oppression, rather than reinforce them.
“Silence is complicity, and we must all refuse to be complicit in hate. Soft violence, the words, jokes and comments that demean, exclude, and incite hatred are never harmless.
"It is violence that corrodes dignity, which normalises discrimination, and that lays the foundation for physical violence.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the comments made by Mr Mchunu, because they are not only reckless, (but) also dangerous.
"They endanger the lives of LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex) persons who already live under constant threat,” Letsike said.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to all efforts that foster equality for all and building a South Africa, “where no one is left behind, and where equality is lived in every home, school, workplace and cultural space.”