Watch: Zuma clarifies MK party’s same-sex marriage stance

Former president Jacob Zuma clarified his and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party’s stance on the LGBTQ+ community.

Zuma has previously been criticized for his anti-gay and controversial takes on the community.

However, in an interview with Kwazi Khwaza on EWN, Zuma said neither he nor the MK party discriminated against the community.

Watch: Zuma clarifies the MK’s stance on the LGBTQIA+ community

‘People should be allowed to express their feelings without fighting’ – Zuma

He said he may have a different perspective on the topic, however, he refuted the reports which claimed he is against the legalization of same-sex relationships.

The former President acknowledged that in the past, he expressed his perspective on the community based on his upbringing. He says this brought about an outrage from the community and other people.

“I then took the decision that I do not want to hurt people’s feelings,” he said.

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Furthermore, when prompted by Khwaza on the MK party’s manifesto which states that it will not permit same-sex marriages Zuma said it is important for them as a party to convey their truth about what they say or think about certain matters.

According to him, it is not a crime for one to convey his or her truth on specific views or perceptions.

He said this rather meant that they [the MK party] should respect people, however one should not abandon one’s beliefs.

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He compared the sexual preferences of the LGBTQ+ community to religion.

“This is similar to religious people. There are some religious people and there are also atheists- who are called heathens. You can’t criminalize atheism, but when people say they want to include a certain thing into our policies they are speaking their truth,” he explained.

Zuma said people shouldn’t fight over something that touches them, rather people should just speak their truth.

“When people say they don’t like a particular thing or that they don’t believe in it, they are not saying those who believe in it have a crime. They are just expressing their feelings. There shouldn’t be any conflict because of that,” he said.

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