JOBURG – Members of Johannesburg’s Gay and Lesbian community reacted with shock and disappointment to the last-minute postponement of the Pride event that was to take place on 28 September.
According to online reports, the event was postponed to 26 October and the venue changed from Newtown’s Mary Fitzgerald Square to Sandton, due to concerns about the community’s well-being.
Mambaonline.com quoted project manager Kaye Ally as saying, “The committee decided at a crisis meeting that Mary Fitzgerald Square being a ‘high risk highly exposed’ area would not be suitable to host this year’s… event.”
She said, going forward, the annual event would be held at the end of October to avoid date clashes with other Pride events taking place around Gauteng.
Ally reportedly said there had been an influx of petty criminals in the area, and the police had not been able to get them under control. She said two events held at the square had “experienced security concerns” and had “numerous criminal activities associated with them”.
She also reportedly claimed to have been attacked three times, and warned to cancel the event “or face the consequences”.
Metro police spokesperson Superintendent Wayne Minnaar told a different story.
“The event was cancelled because the application did not meet with Joint Operations Committee requirements, not because of crime in Newtown. There are many requirements to be met before an event is approved, and they didn’t meet all of the requirements,” he said.
The online report quoted a press statement, but when this reporter contacted Pride spokesperson, Antoine Papayya in an attempt to acquire a copy of this statement, he was told to speak to Ally.
Ally had not responded to telephone calls, SMSes or emails by the time of going to print.
The Johannesburg Pride Facebook page wall attracted comments of displeasure, disappointment and disgust at the news of the postponement.
Thabiso Sibangisa wrote, “Imagine those flying in from other countries, coming back home just for Pride, while Jaco Bester wrote, “There are so many people asking about what’s happening to Pride and you, as organisers, haven’t even made an effort to answer one of them… If we as a Gay community cannot learn to stand together and fight for each other, how can we expect anybody else to fight for us?… I drop my head in shame to be Gay.”
The Johannesburg Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community needn’t despair, however, as Johannesburg People’s Pride will take place on 5 October at Constitution Hill, Braamfontein, at 11am.
