South African President Zuma Respects Uganda’s Jail the Gays

Zuma proves that he is a homophobe,  as he spits on the legacy of Madiba,  and this should be his demise!

By Melanie Nathan, April 09, 2014.

ugparade9South Africa has a Constitution that ensures equality for all, including LGBTI people. And now according to South Africa’s media, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday “South Africa respects Uganda’s anti-homosexual laws.”  And if he was ONLY referring to Uganda’s sovereignty, then he fails to note that the law is unjust and persecutory.

No wonder there is so much homophobia and violence against LGBTI people in South Africa – even President Zuma fails to recognize certain basic human rights, invoked by a  Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

Surely there is a duty on Zuma to remind his neighbors of what is right versus what is wrong, despite their sovereignty.

Anyone with the ability to read can see that the Anti-Homosexuality Act of Uganda is in direct conflict with Uganda’s own Constitution. Why did Zuma fail to mention this in relation to Uganda’s sovereignty?  Clearly Articles 2 (1) and (2) on the Supremacy of the Constitution; 21 (1) and (2) on equality and freedom from discrimination and 27 on the right to privacy are breached by the Anti-Homosexuality Act of Uganda. And also other articles are impacted such as 28 (1), (3) (b), 28 (12), 42 and 44 (c).

Surely Zuma, as a leader of South Africa, by virtue of his country’s Constitutional mandate has a duty to point out how Uganda differs from South Africa and that its AHA is unacceptable regardless of its sovereignty, especially given its breach of Uganda’s own constitution as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Surely Zuma has a duty to his own LGBTI community to come out against institutionalized homophobia in another country, in the same was as the world came out against institutionalized racism during apartheid? And by not doing so, Zuma is suggesting that a majority has more rights than a minority?

ugparade5

Ugandans Love Museveni for Anti-Gay laws and now they love Zuma for endorsing them too

Homophobia is the underlying reason that Zuma’s government is going to start chipping away at the immigration laws which allow some latitude for especially LGBTI visitors to South Africa from other parts of Africa, such as in the case of the visa for Dr. Paul Semugoma. ( Directive 43 of 2010 in the Immigration Regulations – The Zuma Government i seeking to curb these rights.)

And what next – to take sexual orientation out of the SA Constitution too?

South Africa’s pervasive and underlying homophobia is starting to stink and its found its way down from the top.

How can we forget that President Zuma appointed a man who has made homophobic anti-gay remarks to South Africa’s Ambassador to Uganda, Jon Qwelane. And how can we believe that the president’s administration has in fact engaged in sop called quiet diplomacy in Uganda when they have a homophobe like Qwelane there at the helm? From what I have known him to say, I imagine he endorses the institutionalized homophobic laws of Uganda more than he concerns himself with their sovereignty and he is Zuma’s mouthpiece after all.

Here is SAPA Report:-

Responding to a parliamentary question on whether he intended to clear South Africa’s policy position regarding Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law, Zuma said: “South Africa respects the sovereign rights of other countries to adopt their own legislation.”

“In this regard, through diplomatic channels South Africa engages with Uganda on areas of mutual concern bearing in mind Uganda’s sovereignty,” Zuma said through a written response to the National Assembly.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed into law a bill allowing for repeat homosexual “offenders” to be jailed for life in February.

The legislation also outlawed the promotion of homosexuality and required people to denounce gays and lesbians.

At the time, the SA Human Rights Commission called for the country’s government to condemn the law.

“The commission believes that our government should make its rejection of Uganda’s draconian law clear and visible,” spokesman Isaac Mangena said in February.

“(We should) join those who respect the rights and freedoms of every person to call for the repeal of this and all similar legislation and to follow good human rights practices in line with its commitments under international and regional laws.”

In 2011, South Africa introduced a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in support of gay rights. SAPA

WHEN WILL THE ANC  start to realize that President Jacob Zuma has failed the Constitution of Mandela. Its time for Zuma to go! Wake up South Africa – who will be next? Out of respect for the SA Constitution Zuma can speak to sovereignty but at the same time has a duty to speak out against the law itself which serves to persecute a minority of Uganda’s pouplation. He could have said that he thought that Uganda has a right to make such a law, but that the law is wrong and unconstitutional.

Zuma proves that he is a homophobe.

UPDATED APRIL10, 2014.

After I had prepared my talk for the NMMU , I heard about Zuma’s statement and was incensed.  And so I was left with no choice but to mention it in my talk on April 9th, 2014.

Here is the Resulting Press:

Screen Shot 2014-04-09 at 11.12.44 PM

 

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7 Comments on “South African President Zuma Respects Uganda’s Jail the Gays”

  1. Dr. Rex April 8, 2014 at 3:30 PM #

    Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    The counter-movement is getting stronger. We need to be aware!!

  2. Jueseppi B. April 8, 2014 at 3:37 PM #

    Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat™.

  3. Tim Singiswa April 8, 2014 at 11:31 PM #

    uganda is not zuma`s homeland but a sovereignstate and zuma cannot go therand dictate.you arefunded by the illuminati and work for them by doing your work asper their whims and dictations.what you are promoting is not in line with god`s lawsbut lucifer and satanlawsashomosexuality is regardedasthe mother of all sins inthe holy bible!

    • Melanie Nathan April 9, 2014 at 2:29 PM #

      We live in a global community. Are you saying the world should have turned its back on SA during apartheid. Respecting a country’s sovereignty does not mean you should not disagree with laws that discriminate or persecute people. you are saying then that Hitler had a right to persecute Jews and that USA had a right to slavery and SA had a right to apartheid???? That Syria can kill its own people?? Of course sovereignty is important but we must policeman countries that hurt its own people. Zuma, because of his own progressive constitution has a duty to disapprove of Uganda’s persecution laws. And we all know that the UG law is unconstitutional anyway and it impinges upon UG’s duty under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So my friend of course we should respect your sovereignty and at the same time we should tell you when you are screwing up on some very basic human rights through institutionalized homophobia – that perpetuates violence. Sovereignty my friend is NOT unconditional …if it were this world would be even more fucked up than it already is….. and that is what Mr Z has failed to do.

  4. Mike April 9, 2014 at 5:14 AM #

    For a rapist, liar and thief, what else do you expect? From a President, one would hope none of the aforementioned words would be in the sake sentence.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. South African President Zuma Respects Uganda’s Jail the Gays | Daily Queer News - April 9, 2014

    […] Read more […]

  2. Protest at South African Embassy in D.C. Slams Zuma for Failing on Gay Rights | O-blog-dee-o-blog-da - April 17, 2014

    […] Today a group of American activists targeted the South African Embassy in Washington D.C., to protest President Jacob Zuma’s recent comments that he supports the Ugandan Governments sovereign right to pass  the Anti-Homosexuality Act, now known as the “Jail the Gays Bill,” which was gazetted on March 10, 2014. In making this statement Zuma failed to express that he disagreed with the contents of the law, as first written about in our article here. […]

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