SHOCK AS JOBURG PRIDE POSTPONED
In a shock development, Johannesburg Pride, due to take place this Saturday in Newtown, has been postponed at the eleventh hour and will now instead take place in Sandton at the end of October.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, Johannesburg Pride Project Manager Kaye Ally announced that “due to circumstances much beyond our control, we’re moving the 24th Annual Johannesburg Pride Festival to the Sandton precinct on the 26th October 2013.”
According to Ally, the decision was taken in light of recent events and concerns “with regards to the LGBTIAQ community’s well-being”.
“As a result, the committee decided at a crisis meeting that Mary Fitzgerald Square being a ‘high risk highly exposed’ area would not be suitable to host this year’s 2013 event,” she said.
The event was billed as going “back to our roots” with a route and venue change from Rosebank to the city centre, which many LGBTI activists had been clamouring for. Ally and her Pride committee even staged a walkthrough of the route in order to show the safety of the city as a venue.
She also faced stinging criticism for scheduling the event on the same day as Soweto Pride, which she defended at the time by insisting that the date had been Johannesburg Pride’s original spot on the calendar in the first place.
When Mambaonline asked Ally if the latest developments did not now contradict her position on these issues, she responded that “we can’t put people’s well-being at risk”.
She said that “there’s been an influx of criminal activity in the area. There’s a new group of petty criminals coming into the Newtown area and the SAPS have not been able to get them under control”.
Ally said that two recent events on Mary Fitzgerald Square had experienced security concerns and “had numerous criminal activities associated with them”.
Kaye Ally
On Monday, Ally told Mambaonline that she had been violently attacked three times in the last few weeks by thugs who demanded that she cancel Johannesburg Pride or face the consequences.
She said that these events had also played a role in the committee’s decision, explaining that friction within the LGBTI community about the clash of pride events could have led to the attacks.
“This was such a difficult decision for us to make at this time but if we have to be the bigger event then I will go through the pain of relocating the event. I would not want to put someone through what I went through,” she said.
“The last three months have been very trying on me, on us as a committee and have been trying on us as a community. If this is coming from the community then we need to bridge the gap. Something has to give,” she continued. ”
Ally said that in future Johannesburg Pride will be held at the end of October so as to avoid any further date clashes. “We will attend all the other prides leading up to Johannesburg Pride and extend an invitation that they attend our event in solidarity.”
Ally denied any rumours about problems with the organisation of the event and said that these are defaming Johannesburg Pride. “We know who is starting these rumours and have issued a legal notice to those parties,” she added.
Ally said that more information about Johannesburg Pride in Sandton will be released in the coming days.
Soweto Pride is set to take place this Saturday 28 September, while both Joburg People’s Pride in Braamfontein and Pretoria Pride in Centurion will be held on Saturday 5 October.
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“We will attend all the other prides leading up to Johannesburg Pride and extend an invitation that they attend our event in solidarity.” – Already a lie as Kaye’s Pride committee was not represented at Ekurhuleni Pride or at the launch of Joburg People’s Pride.
Ettiene, she said leading up to, she said it on the 25th, Im not sure about the Launch of People’s Pride, but Ekurhuleni was days before her statement? How is she lying about events in the past when a statement was made after they happened?
Please note that no one was at Soweto Pride to represent Johannesburg Pride.
I am sure it was meant in the sense of attending Joburg Prides e.g. Soweto Pride & People’s Pride. Ekurhuleni is not Jhb. Kaye has put life and limb – literally!! – on line for Pride. We will see how you react if you have had to flee your home and have guards protecting you AFTER being severally hurt physically – and then still proceed. Statements like yours makes one wonder from where these attacks are coming as everyone knows you are aligned with People’s Pride & the activists who caused the violence last year.
If this is true, I shall never attend this event anymore. We are now loosing a lot of money after we have already paid restricted tickets from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is a shame to cancel an event two days before!
THE BASSLINE PARTY ITS STILL ON !!!!! IT WILL HAPPEN FROM 18H00 TILL THE MORNING
If you read careful, it has been postponed and note cancelled
You can still attend Soweto Pride as a lot of people who would have gone to Jhb Pride are going there now. And Jhb Pride is still on – on 26 Oct.
isnt the whole point of pride to stand up to these like this? and now they allowed to bully you. this is being weak
I seriously doubt you’d be so gung-ho to be “strong” if you’d been on the receiving end of beatings and threats of more violence.
Easy to talk if you are not the one being beaten hey Busi? We will see you running over the hills quicker than you can say ‘pride’ …
A fish called I Wonder…
Fishy? So being beaten black and blue, having to flee your home and have guards protecting you AFTER being severally hurt physically AND having threats of violence at the event itself – of which proof was handed to the SAPS and they are investigating – is ‘fishy’. It is yes – the suspicion lies in where these attacks and threats are coming from. You can make your own deductions of who did not want this event to take place.
Well , as in life safety first … rather safe than sorry ….
God sake, we have bought our flights tickets already, but Soweto pride here I come
This is not a shock – just one more happening in a long line of infighting, bitching and general incompetence. I am really sorry for those people who have planned their weekend around it. Go to Sexpo instead.
Except that, to judge from previous Sexpos, there is precious little for the LGBTI community on offer ther.
So Moira – if you are such an expert in eventing – why did you not help and leave the very few people (2 0r 3) to arrange such a huge event? It is not their fault there were attacks – and threats to disrupt Jhb Pride. So you would rather risk the safety of the community and proceed?
Looks like the problem here is that yal comittee members don’t communicate . Pta , Jhb , Plk , Dbn , bloem etc its different provinces but one LGBTIQ community . I think next year you should hold a Grand meeting with other comittees to avoid such . I feel sorry for the person who posted about the plane tickets from far . Its indeed a shame to cancel an event 2 days before , but look at other circumstances . And you have nothing to loose because soweto pride is still going to be there . I hope everyone else understands JHB peoples pride’s circumstances like I do . As long as the comittee promises to make sure this doesn’t happen again. For future refference
people have booked and now they won’t be able to get their money back.looking at those are gonna be flying so thos is a serious enconvibience to us all
Soweto Pride is still on on the same day.
Wat the fuck is happening huh???we spend a lot to be cuming to the jberrg pride the next thing is cancelled this is b*** s*** I wll noo longer attend jhb pride anymore this is a waist of my money#sadfordays mxm
It is not their fault there were attacks – and threats to disrupt Jhb Pride. So you would rather risk the safety of the community and proceed?
Did you show support? How is the committee to know your travel plans? From day one this community has been bitching and moaning? This since of entitlement is sickening
I also find this rather suspicious and, like some voiced here, cancelling an event of this magnitude two days in advance is unprofessional and leaves much to be desired. I hope everybody who made flight and accommodation bookings and are unable to cancel them find something else to do in Johannesburg. Perhaps Soweto Pride is a good alternative. As for Joburg Pride, well, I guess we all saw this coming…
Suspicious? So being beaten black and blue, having to flee your home and have guards protecting you AFTER being severally hurt physically AND having threats of violence at the event itself – of which proof was handed to the SAPS and they are investigating – is ‘suspicious’. It is yes – the suspicion lies in where these attacks and threats are coming from. We all know where it came from last year.
Pride is an international tourist event. Once you have shafted these tourists once you may loose them forever. This is a shame on Johannesburg. Also the safety concerns were glaringly obvious to anyone with half a brain from day one. How is it that Pride organisers have only realised it 2 days before the event?
This is a fine example of poor planning and a pure lack of consultation and communication. -It is truly appaulling
So being beaten black and blue, having to flee your home and have guards protecting you AFTER being severally hurt physically AND having threats of violence at the event itself – of which proof was handed to the SAPS and they are investigating – is ‘suspicious’. It is yes – the suspicion lies in where these attacks and threats are coming from. We all know where it came from last year.
in all this, i remember the events of the last pride held in town. i remember bricks and bottles being thrown out of windows down on the procession. i remember people being badly hurt. i remember people being mocked and jeered as we walked past. i also remember the parking point, and the departure point, not being in the same place, and busses being needed, and us having to flag down taxis to get to the march starting point on time.
this all left a very bad taste in my mouth, and i had decided to give this year’s pride a miss.
i concur, that maybe a bit more foresight was needed, and loads of people are going to be left out of pocket in this regard.
but we don’t know the inner workings of what is happening behind the scenes. and members being assaulted for being associated with this…. it’s just not cool. if they decide to cancell the event two minutes before, because their personal safety is at risk, then everybody needs to stop complaining about money and tourism, and consider an actual person’s safety and wellbeing. it’s just nasty and cruel to want to complain about money when a person’s life is at risk.
Not just their personal safety – also that of the people attending as there were threats against them as well – and of a very serious nature. Think America/Kenya.
This is the worst pride ever!!!!! Least there’s a proper 1 in pta with ppl that knw what they r doing to even consider newtown as the area to hav pride…. U stupid!!!!
Well done Tasha! You are so supportive! The world needs more of your kind………….
Dumb ass organisation befitting Joburg … a world class African city, provided that you are happy with third world service standards! Oh well, at least nobody will break their high heels and necks on pavements being ripped up for digital connectivity and never reinstated! Good one Joburg et al! Food parcels from the Premier should appease the average dimwit into voting the same yet again!
I wish people weren’t so quick to attack. All other organisers have had 12 months to organise and experience to back that. This team had no experience and only 4 or 5 months. They went out of their way to make you happy and did not stop when their own lives were threatened. It clearly had nothing to do with in-fighting or squabbles. They made a very difficult decision, one most of you would never have the balls to make yourselves, to cancel. I am not surprised that they have had enough, you people are abusive, bad mannered and unable to use spell check. You can all gfy. I take my hat off to these organisers.
Safety. Can I say – ‘We told you so !”
Indeed, these organisations from different provinces should have the meeting and be as one. But why Joburg pride is the only one affected here and other events were not…… hmmmm
Say what? ??? Joburg pride is postponed???Feel bad for those who have booked their flight tickets and all. I f I were you, I would just come to the soweto gay pride.
What a load of rubbish. Newtown is too dangerous?? From what bands of marauding hipsters… Mary Fitzgerald square on a Saturday is populated by tourists, Capello’s customers and pretentious middle class kids with skateboards. Everything about the planning of this event has been a joke, the decision to take the same day as Soweto Pride was petty and unnecessary and if you ask me security is a way to gain sympathy for a decision that was really based on an abject lack of organisation.
Rubbish? So being beaten black and blue, having to flee your home and have guards protecting you AFTER being severally hurt physically AND having threats of violence at the event itself – of which proof was handed to the SAPS and they are investigating – is ‘suspicious’. It is yes – the suspicion lies in where these attacks and threats are coming from. We all know where it came from last year.
I wonder when was the last time you were in Newtown? Capello’s closed down after a series of armed robberies in 2011!
I have been attending Pride since 2000 and I remember when it used to be just one pride, with one big after party!! My point being People from ever corner of the earth got to come together at one venue and experience each other and have fun together … This nonsense of 10 different prides , at 10 different venues , on 10 different days is bullshit and the organizers need to rethink this whole separate pride thingie before we lose this all together!!
Seems the “new” organizers conveniently forgot that the reason we moved Pride to the northern suburbs in the first place was because a marcher was injured in an attack in the last event held downtown in Hillbrow! Now wait for the outcry because it’s moving back to the north!
THE BASSLINE PARTY WILL NOT BE CANCELED . IT WILL START 18H00 . JHB NEWTOWN . EUPHONICK and SA’s House Vovalists follow @jhbprideparty for update Tickets available @ Computicket R70 & R150 Limited VIP . Also Shoprite Checkers
What a joke ! like chickens with out heads ,stupid people, never heard of so many prides in one city. Embarasing to say the least.
*rolls eyes*
People seem to be under the impression that the organisers owe them a pride. How about you complainers and nay-sayers on here right now start organising your own pride. You are all complaining about incompetence, why don’t you volunteer your time while holding down a job at the same time. Come on, what the hell are you waiting for? None of you would step up. Do you even understand how it hurts when the diverse crowd you are trying to cater for turn up their noses at what you have put invaluable time into. These people were organising a pride for you, but I am certain that they now want nothing to do with this dysfunctional family. I want to crawl under a rock and pretend I’m not gay because I am embarrassed at this behaviour and sense of entitlement you all have. It is very disappointing.
100% with you
As a former PRIDE chair, I think I’m with dickstra on this one… except for the pretending I’m not gay part! Sure, such a late cancellation sucks, but it could not have been an easy decision for the organisers, so let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m not a particular fan of any of the Prides, but I do know that organising Pride really takes it out of you, and the constant criticisms don’t really help. How about we just wish all of them all the best, and support whichever one we want to? I mean, isn’t freedom of choice one of the rights that Pride is meant to celebrate?
100% with you. It is plain and simple – in this last week before the event – the safety of attendees were threatened. I the organisers DID proceed, and someone got hurt or god forbid, killed, they would be liable for criminal charges including manslaughter or perhaps murder. Would anyone writing here be prepared to risk someone’s life and a hefty jail sentence? Come on. Get real people.
I’m disappointed that mamba hasn’t gotten the full story – either by believing blindly that they have been told the truth regarding the reason or by not wanting to get to the bottom of this. I don’t claim to know much about anything except what I’ve experienced 1st hand. My good friend was one of the entertainers organised to perform on the day. All the entertainers were informed to be at a special meeting this last Sunday at Melon in Melville at 2pm. It was compulsory. Everyone arrived but the place was closed. The owner arrived at around 2.30 to inform everyone that he was told the meeting was cancelled. No-one could get any of the organisers on the phone – it either rang and no one answer or was off completely. They didn’t even arrive at all. Needless to say that this was spoken about at our braai on Tuesday so this story above doesn’t seem to ring with the whole truth.
Hold the person doing Entertainment responsible, according to the Pride Guide a Liesel Prinsloo is th Entertainment manager? If Pride is in crisis, than surely we should understanding? Let’s keep throwing mud? How is Pride ever going to gain sponsorship? When we can’t even support the damn event!
Stop the bullshit, Melon in Melville in recent weeks? Hunni Melon has closed down months ago!
You ungrateful, selfish people. if it wasn’t for these organizers we would not be having a pride at all!!!!!!!!! Putting their lives at risk for you and you still bitch and moan!!!!!!!!!!!!! A organizer was beaten, they held a gun to her head! They threaten the whole parade, what if we were on the bridge and one of these criminal started shooting into the crowd? Start a web page were you recruit organizers for next years pride. have a meeting with PTA pride organizers and ask help, then all you moaners can have a try at organizing such a big event (with a gun to your head), AND YOU BETTER DO A GOOD JOB. Better yet, cancel Jhb pride and throw Jhb pride and PTA pride together. Its a safe area and these organizers know their business. STOP MOANING AND BE GRATEFUL NOBODY ELSE GOT HURT
How on earth did they ever think that having the Pride in Jhb CBD will be a success? The inner City slum with the stench and litter has long been avoided as a no-go area. We will attend the Pretoria march next week without a doubt.
wow. i am completely amazed and funnily appalled at the stuff i’m reading: so Pride will be postponed.
well, whatever the reason (organizational ,incompetence, threats & intimidation, safety, did anyone whisper ‘power struggle’?) it’s really no reason to go all out at each other with your handbags, boys n girls! the whole idea is that maybe if we love and accept ourselves (and that includes those just like us – funny that!) and then can learn to love and forgive others: everything will be ok.
yeah, i was also really looking forward to Pride: i also had my doubts that having independent marches would dissolve the impact of our message and fight for rights. after all separation leads to segregation (and we all know how dirty that little word is!)
I am also learning that our community itself is constantly changing: i grew up in a time when being gay was a dark and sinister secret and the possibility of finding friends and lovers was fraught with danger and bigotry. even today, as i come across as generally happy and well adjusted – i still have those scars of self-hatred and internalized homophobia. homosexuality exists across all races, creeds and socio economic brackets -maybe that’s what we’re struggling to really accept. that we don’t ‘own’ or ‘run’ or ‘manage’ pride. it owns, runs and manages us. i am afraid this might injure a few of those fragile ego’s: you are merely a part of the whole. and the whole really doesn’t need you to survive. a whole that is so amazing and incredible and diverse that we will thankfully never know all it’s magic and secrets. it’s a force beyond our limited understanding.
so what i’m trying to say is this: have faith – it will happen. it’s in our souls, in our blood, our beings. right now there are so many things that we need to work together for: just look at what they’re doing to our boys in the Arab states (hanging em) and how fast we can lose our standing and security if we don’t preserve it (Russia). check out this awesome link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/hozier-take-me-to-church_n_3991405.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
and realize this is more than organizational politik and the branding grandstanding that goes with it.
On a more personal note, go and visit the following link – really sobering: what we can lose when we lose the one we love and are denied our rights as partners or significant others:
http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/it-could-happen-to-you-video.html
this changed how i viewed marriage rights (frankly i thought anything them straights got up to was awful and suspicious!)
mama said we should all try learn from our mistakes and help others wherever we can. in the words of our Mandela’s mate, the Dalai Lama (who has lost his country, his people, his right to practice his religion – but has kept his grace and dignity) keep trying for that inner peace baby. be at peace with yourself and be at peace with those around you. if you can’t do anything positive, but can criticize and complain instead – rather do nothing. it really isn’t helping things.
so please, stop attacking each other (haven’t you had enough of the rest of the world doing that to you?!)
try exercise patience and tolerance (even if they are at the march and their shoes don’t work, or they haven’t done their roots -I mean if you not gonna do your roots for pride, what do you do them for at all?!) Even our own leather daddy bears will tell you that they have a safe word so it can stop hurting. no matter how justified you feel, stop hurting each other: you really are coming across like a crystal queen on a comedown! no matter how pretty your make-up is, you’re damn ugly!
so stop hurting each other. take pride in yourself. your personal power. your passion. your pashmina.
just see it as a delay (so them crazy , scary fabulous drag queens can reeeaally go all out and bedazzle the bef*k out of everything!)
those guys out there waited many years to be loved and accepted. you can wait a month. the extcy won’t go off
and that aint the drug i’m talking about!
in love and pride. triggerhappy
WOW! The gay community have absolutely no compassion! I am ashamed to be apart of this community. Great work on moving! The truth about the inner city is been hidden obviouslyn its months before a pending national election.
To those Bitching; how it is that non of you banged Tanya’s door down looking for answer as to what happened to the Pride Company and where is the money?
To those travelling; at anytime in the build up to Pride have any of you shown support to the Pride committee? Mentioned to them your travel plans? NO! All they got was negativity around the venue.
Hwne they move to change the venue, its still negative!
Keeping going Kaye!
Looking at the other write up online, soweto pride did not benefit in anyway from the date change, People’s pride also didn’t draw huge numbers becuase besides the few hundred they attract noone else identifies with that type of behaviour.
PTA Pride was terrible on a vacant piece of red sand lost the crowds quickly!
The masses will come to Sandton, this is the true Pride of Joburg! It will be safe and incident free!
I support you! I salute you! Keep going! Well done!