ZULU ROYAL HOUSE: TRADITIONAL GAY WEDDING ‘UNHOLY’
Tshepo Modisane and Thoba Sithole’s wedding
The Zulu Royal House has reportedly reacted with “shock” that a gay wedding was held in the town of Stanger, a historic location for the Zulu people.
On 6 April, Tshepo Cameron Modisane and Thoba Calvin Sithole were married in a wedding that combined their traditional African cultures in front of 200 guests in the town’s Siva Sungam community hall.
They were dressed in their respective traditional regalia. Modisane is Tswana, while Sithole is Zulu.
The event was covered by local and international media and has led to debate and controversy across South Africa on the ‘Africanness’ of homosexuality.
Stanger, also known as KwaDukuza, is the historic capital of the Zulus and is famous for being the place of Shaka’s assassination.
On Wednesday, the Daily Sun reported that the Zulu Royal House responded with “shock” at the news of the event and its location.
Spokesperson for King Goodwill Zwelithini, Prince Mbonisi Zulu, commented that “KwaDukuza is one of the respected places of the Zulus”.
He acknowledged that “we live in a democratic country” and that “the Zulu Kingdom can’t go against the country’s Constitution,” but, he added, “We don’t condone this thing of gays”.
Zulu also went on to say: “I’m sure even in God’s eyes homosexuality is not holy.”
Sithole, who accused traditional leaders of holding South Africa back, told Mambaonline that the couple didn’t have the wedding in his hometown of KwaDukuza to specifically make a statement or to prove a point.
“I had my wedding there because I am Zulu and proud of my culture and secondly I was born in township called Shakaville and, as you know, Shaka’s grave is also in my home town. I wore my Zulu regalia because I believe that me being gay doesn’t make me less of a Zulu man,” he said.
“Honestly, I feel sad that people still think that homosexuality is unAfrican. They still believe it a fashion statement and that it originated from Western countries, forgetting that homosexuality was there before King Shaka’s reign,” added Sithole.
As for homosexuality not being “holy,” he commented that the statement is “absurd, because if homosexuality is not holy, that means we Zulus are not holy too because the Bible is against ancestral beliefs.”
It’s not the first time the Zulu Royal House has made anti-gay comments. In January 2012, King Goodwill Zwelithini was reported to have said at an event commemorating the 133rd anniversary of the Battle of Isandwana that homosexuality did not exist in the past, and that it is “wrong”, “rotten” and “not acceptable”.
He later insisted that he had been mistranslated and misquoted by the media but the matter was never fully clarified.
Last year, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) called for the removal of sexual orientation protection from the Constitution.
In 2006, it also opposed the legalisation of same-sex marriage in South Africa, claiming that “same-sex marriage is against nature, culture (all types of culture), religion and common sense, let alone decency”.
Modisane and Sithole have set up a blog about their wedding at sithole-modisane.blogspot.com.
Some of us African we are still denialist. When are we gonna wake up and smell the coffee…Having 5 wives is African but getting married to one man is Unafrican. We are so hypocrite sometimes. This is 2013….Get a life and get the fact straight like a real man do!!!!!
Great example to stand up for your beliefs and each other with courage and demanding dignity … Congratulations guys, in my opinion it is actions such as this instead of Pride that promote gay rights!
Now that’s what I call a wedding Vol 69 – Congrats boys, just do what you believe in and don’t get distracted by the naysayers. These heteros, they make us then they want to deny us.
What a load of shit.
Shaka sucked cock, did he not?
Congratulations to both of you, I appreciate and thank you for the courage to do what you believed and actually is right. In this world where economic inequities, exploitation of both men and women, climate change (a euphemism of course for global warming), various prejudices based upon race, sexuality, class, gender, and so forth, the issue of same sex marriage is important in that those who want it should have it and at the same time, it must not be looked upon by those who dislike it or hate it as the end of the world as it were. This world has so many various issues that this is nothing compared to man exploiting man in the various ways illustrated above and demonstrated by the ancient philosophers and in modern one’s and others who had the insight to see what humanity was doing to itself so for both of you and others who had the courage to do this in the world keep going and keep breaking down the barriers. The fact that barriers exist illustrates that humanity needs new values, ones that respect human dignity, recognizes our interdependence in politics, economics, sociology, and so forth and creates new values based upon the writers of the past, combining the wisdom of the ancients with the wisdom of the present. And as for those that oppose this union, I can only quote Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice from Olmstead v United States, “Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government’s [or anyone’s] purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.”
Congrats for the newly weds!!! Mor power to u. This is why no matter what Im grateful I live here. n even more glad Kings n Queens don’t govern this country:-D
TENS OF MILLIONS of my and your taxes goes annually to Zwelethini to squander as he sees fit. Why must we support a fat old man and his family that dares to call us unholy?
SHAKA ZULU WAS GAY HIMSELF
How do u know that Shaka was gay? If true, it would come as no surprise – Alexander the Great was gay too. Inbox me: paulmarais22@gmail.com
Very happy for the couple and wish them all of the best in their future plans. I must say that it cost ample courage, faith and trust to expose your love in this manner. There will be a lot of strain from the public and pray that you will stand by each other during this time. I really think that the media was not needed as this the fame last for a few days but the remarks will follw you everywhere and will add more power to the heteros and all the remarks will add stress to this marraige. Children of God be blessed and work on your promise to each other and not the media as this is a long long journey.
Big up guys to have such balls, all the best fron a 100% Zulu gay man, wish you all the best guys awe
this is shameful