Is Ngizwe Mchunu the face of homophobia in South Africa? Public backlash ignites
Ngizwe Mchunu Outrage erupts as Ngizwe Mchunu attacks gay marriage in a viral video.
Image: Itumeleng English
Controversial media figure Ngizwe Mchunu has ignited uproar after he posted a video of himself going on a homophobic tirade online. The 44-year-old made the derogatory remarks after photos of a gay couple getting married in traditional attire went viral.
"A man who sleeps with another man? That is incredibly shameful," he said. "This is the root of societal troubles. And that mgodoyi (dog) Somizi, he should take all his people and leave South Africa. We will discriminate against you publicly now"
One of the spouses was wearing traditional Zulu attire, which Mchunu took great issue with and called the man slurs.
"Imvunulo (traditional Zulu attire) is the pride of the ethnic group. We don't even want remuneration from that gay man. We wish a plague upon him. He deserves to be arrested or a talking to."
He maintained that the traditional wear is reserved for Zulu royalty.
Kim Lithgow from Hate Crimes Working Group Same Love Toti, groups that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, admonished Mchunu and accused him of hate speech.
The South African Constitution, under Section 16(2)(c), defines hate speech as: "Advocacy of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes incitement to cause harm."
This provision limits the right to freedom of expression by excluding certain forms of speech from constitutional protection. Specifically, it prohibits speech that incites harm through the promotion of hatred.
"The South African Constitution prohibits discrimination against same sex couples and those with a different gender identity. The question is how his words measure up against our Constitution?" Lithgow asked. "We have Hate Crime Law so it is against the law to commit hate speech. He is inciting violence against gay and lesbian individuals."
She said the organisations will take steps against Mchunu, such as filing a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and approaching the Equality Court.
"This is an affront to the quality of every single South African, no matter who we are and what identity we have, whether trans or cisgender; this type of talk infringes on all of our freedoms. He has gone against everything that South Africa stands for and will be brought to book."
Lithgow demanded Mchunu retract his statement because, she added, it is not the first time that he has done this.
"Now, he has gone too far and needs to retract his statements and never say such again. He needs to give a donation to a LGBT organisation and go for sensitivity training so that he can learn because his words are ignorant. He needs to learn what the law says about LGBT lives."
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