Ministry urged to act on visa as anti-gay US pastor plans SA visit

DURBAN: The Ministry of Home Affairs appears to be dragging its heels on a decision on whether to ban anti-gay US pastor Steven Anderson from entering the country next month.

The ministry was placed on terms to make a decision on the matter last month by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), which sent a letter to Minister Malusi Gigaba and director-general Mkuseli Apleni.

The commission, which had received complaints from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities, asked the ministry to make a decision based on legislation that allows for a person to be banned for being “undesirable”.

The commission received no reply to its first letter and a second letter was sent on August 2.

On social media, people have commented that the ministry’s handling of the Anderson complaint appears to be in contrast with the way the government dealt with several visa applications by the Dalai Lama in 2009, 2012 and 2014.

Anderson is scheduled to preach in Johannesburg on September 18, according to his church’s website.

He drew a severe and widespread backlash after he praised the June shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, in which 49 people were killed in a YouTube video. In one comment, referred to in the letter, Anderson allegedly said while it had not been “right for someone to shoot up the place, these people should have been killed anyway”.

The complainants said that Anderson had expressed “hateful, harmful and hurtful” statements towards members of LGBTI communities on various occasions.

But Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete said yesterday the ministry had responded to the commission “two weeks ago” and a date was being arranged for the parties to meet and discuss the matter.

Tshwete said the minister sympathised with the LGBTI communities who had been upset by news of Anderson’s visit.

“The minister’s view is that whatever is to be done in this matter, has to be carried out within the prescripts of the law.”