Sep 28, 2006Articles: Fury over homophobic speech by Jacob Zuma
By VZ
(Cape Town, South Africa) A speech by former Deputy President Jacob Zuma in which he called same-sex marriage an affront has drawn ire from LGBT rights groups. Zuma was removed from the deputy presidency after a court found he had had a "generally corrupt" relationship with a former aide but he remains a major force within the African National Congress and is a leading candidate to succeed Thabo Mbeki as president.
In a weekend speech Zuma said that when he was young he would have beaten anyone who was gay. He went on to say that gay marriage is "a disgrace to the nation and to God".
An organization representing a number of LGBT rights groups have called for an apology, calling Zuma's remarks " a form of hate speech".
"Has Zuma forgotten South Africa's recent past; the state institutionalized discrimination, stigmatization and segregation?" the LGBT Joint Working Group said in a statement.
"It would seem Jacob Zuma still has a lot to learn about leadership. A true leader leads with intellect and wisdom - not popularity or favor. How can a narrow-minded person like this be expected to lead our nation?"
Zuma has declined to comment further on the incident.
His remarks came as public hearings continue over legislation that would legalize same-sex civil marriage and grant rights to non-married gay and opposite-sex couples.
The bill will be presented to parliament and is expected to be in place by the end of the year, meeting a court imposed deadline.
Last December the Constitutional Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. (story)
The court ordered Parliament to amend marriage laws within 12 months.
