ZUMA ANTI-GAY OUTBURST

Potential presidential candidate Jacob Zuma has come our firmly in the camp of homophobic African leaders according to the Sowetan newspaper.

According to the newspaper, the controversial Zuma, whose fraud trial was recently dismissed by the courts because of prosecutor incompetence, has condemned same-sex marriages. He was talking at a Heritage Day event in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.

He was quoted as saying that “Same-sex marriage is a disgrace to the nation and to God…”, adding that, “When I was growing up unqingili [homosexuals] could not stand in front of me”. Zuma said that he was speaking in his personal capacity on the matter.

His comments come amidst public hearings around the country on the subject of a new proposed law that would legalise same-sex unions in order to comply with a Constitutional Court order issued last year.

Religious groups oppose the legislation, as do LGBT organisations who believe that the bill does not go far enough.