MP: MISTER PIONEER
He’s not just South Africa’s first openly gay, black member of parliament – Zakhele Mbhele is the first on the whole continent. He schools Jesse Archer on social justice, HIV ignorance and why that distracting race card keeps shutting down debate. Photogr
South Africa’s Zakhele Mbhele talks about becoming Africa’s first gay (openly) and black MP.
DNA: Congratulations on your win, Zac. Are you overwhelmed by just how historic your election is?
Zakhele Mbhele: Without wanting to sound dismissive of the importance of the milestone, it doesn’t really feel like a big moment for me personally. I’m more struck by the mere fact of becoming a member of parliament, which had been a six-year goal for me, rather than being the first openly gay black one in Africa.
How many languages do you speak? I speak two languages well: English and Zulu, my home language. My Afrikaans and Xhosa are clumsy at best.
Tell us about your upbringing. I was raised by mother along with my younger sister. Our parents were never married but our father was very involved in raising us, contributing to our education and making sure to see us as often as he could.
Did you suffer homophobia growing up? Not really. I wasn’t out in high school and I mostly socialised in LGBT-friendly spaces during university. What about during your election campaign? Because South Africa doesn’t have a constituencybased electoral system where you campaign as an individual candidate, there wasn’t an opportunity for my sexuality to become an issue. The ANC is the ruling political party and also the one Nelson Mandela belonged to. What’s the primary difference between the ANC and your party, the Democratic
Alliance? The primary difference is that the ANC is, at its core, a racial nationalist party while the DA is a liberal democratic party. You were media spokesperson for the Premier of the Western Cape, Hellen Zille. How did that role prepare you
for Parliament? It helped me in two ways. First, I became more media-savvy and more
The HIV epidemic in South Africa is multidimensional with complex dynamics. It’s a question of almost everything from patriarchy to poverty to promiscuity.
experienced in how to interact effectively with the media and, second, it gave me a detailed understanding of how government works. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places on earth. What do you love most
about it? Cape Town is a well-governed and well-managed city where municipal services run as they should (something we can’t take for granted in South Africa) and it offers a superior lifestyle to any other city I’ve lived in. Everything from the scenic beauty of Table Mountain to the close proximity of beaches and winelands, to the rich dining and nightlife makes it the best place to live in South Africa – if you have the disposable income to access all
those fabulous spaces and amenities of course. You consider yourself a Joberger, by culture.
What do you mean by that? I identify more with the culture of Johannesburg (where I lived for 16 years) than that of Durban (where I was born and lived until I was 11) or Cape Town (where I live now). I consider Johannesburg to be my home. I effectively reached maturity in the city and my life experience there shaped many fundamental aspects of my character. For those who don’t know Johannesburg,
what does it offer? Johannesburg has a fastpaced, go-getter culture. As a generalisation, it’s a city of ambitious people who dream big and hustle every day to realise their goals. Cape Town and Durban tend to be more slow-paced and relaxed. Johannesburg also has a more stranger-friendly culture with a social scene that is quite f luid with porous boundaries between social circles and networks so it’s quite easy to meet new people and make new friends or connections. In contrast, Cape Town tends to be more clique-y with people sticking to their long-standing social circles and rarely letting newcomers or outsiders in. South Africa has the highest rate of people living with HIV in the world. What do you think is the most effective way to
curb infections? It’s difficult to give a simple answer. The HIV epidemic in South Africa is multidimensional with complex dynamics. It’s a question of almost everything from patriarchy
Johannesburg also has a more stranger-friendly culture with a social scene that is quite f luid with porous boundaries between social circles.
to poverty to promiscuity. At the end of the day, it comes down to individual responsibility: those who are HIV-negative must exercise every precaution to avoid becoming infected and those are HIV-positive must exercise every precaution to avoid infecting others. Do you think it necessary to work with mystics, such as sangomas, to effect change? I think there is a role for traditional leaders and healers in efforts to achieve zero new infections and zero AIDS-related deaths. It has to be a multi-stakeholder endeavour because that is the only way to improve the chances of success. President Jacob Zuma had sex with an HIV-positive woman and said he wasn’t worried about contracting the virus because he took a shower afterward. Is this kind of ignorance widespread? Ignorance and misunderstanding of different kinds exist concerning HIV and AIDS and they aren’t restricted to any one area, group or social stratum. How does such an ignorant man get elected to the highest office in the
nation? Because our electoral system is a proportional representation-party list one, not a constituency-based one where people vote for individual candidates, the election results are always indicative of a political party brand’s strength and appeal more than a voter assessment of any one individual. Jacob Zuma has the lowest approval ratings of all past ANC or State Presidents but the brand equity of the ANC as a political movement and organisation is still strong and solid. Zuma has also called same-sex marriage a disgrace to the nation and to God, and that “When I was growing up, an ungqingili [homosexual] would not have stood in front of me. I would knock him out.” Are you concerned for your own safety in parliament? No, not at all. Gay marriage has been legal since 2006 with the passage of the Civil Union Act, which was based on the equality clause in South Africa’s sweepingly progressive 1996 Constitution. Yes, it makes sense that South Africa ended up with a constitution as liberal and progressive as we did after our brutal and oppressive past. It outlines the roadmap and vision for making a complete break from that past and for eradicating its legacy. Considering President Zuma’s words, is it a roadmap that the country still strives to follow? One unfortunate fact, at this point in time, is the very low level of constitutional literacy. A small minority of citizens know and understand the Constitution or how it’s relevant to their lives but it definitely contains a vision of the kind of society that most South Africans already believe in, and want to live in. There is a lot of talk online about Apartheid woundedness. How does that manifest and what is the way forward? It manifests primarily in the dominance of race in much of
our public discourse, often in a way that distorts or distracts from, the real issues. There tends to be a lot of racial sensitivity from many quarters and the race card and accusations of racism are often thrown about as a way of derailing or shutting down debate. I think the way forward is for all freedom-loving democrats to stay focused on advancing the realisation of the Constitution’s vision of a non-racial society in which every person’s rights are guaranteed and protected. The potency of race discourse will become gradually diluted over the generations. We hear that the younger generation is gung-ho and optimistic about the future. Is this you? I am very optimistic about the future of South Africa. This country has a lot of potential to serve as a global example in many areas. With our rich diversity, international profile and economic strength – coupled with developmental challenges – we have the opportunity to be pioneers for realising substantive freedom and social justice in the Global South. And you’re one of those pioneers! Other openly gay parliamentarians, such as Britain’s Baron Waheed Alli, have used their position to advance gay rights. Seeing as gays already have full rights, as per the Constitution, what is your main mission for LGBTIs in South Africa? We do have equal rights and legal protection on paper but they aren’t yet a reality for many people. I don’t see myself as having a mission regarding LGBTI rights specifically. If anything, I would rather be an advocate for the protection and full realisation of rights for everyone, especially vulnerable groups, including LGBTI people. You have mentioned previously that you’re not singularly defining yourself as the first openly gay black MP in Africa. What other
issues do you consider a priority? My real passion is entrepreneurship. For now, I’ve been allocated t he police portfolio i n parliament so issues of policing and public safet y will be t he bulk of my work for t he short-to-medium term. Gay oppression in Uganda, Nigeria, Zimbabwe – how do you think South Africa can best address this? How do you think the
West can best address this? Three responses: a strong public message of condemnation and disapproval of the human rights violations; measures to express that disapproval from the symbolic to the material, such as reductions in foreign aid; thirdly, increased assistance to human rights advocacy and civil society organisations in the offending countries.
Who is your hero? I don’t really have any. There are people I admire for their example and achievements but it’s usually in one specific area so there is no one single person I look up to as a hero.