SARA president, Colleen Makhubele says denouncing gay rights in schools maintains social order. When women own guns, they are able to defend themselves from perpetrators of GBV. Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspaper.Picture: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspaper.
The South African Rainbow Alliance (Sara) is strongly opposing the introduction of gay rights in schools, by advocating for decent and modest uniforms for learners.
Sara president and Gauteng premier candidate, Colleen Makhubele, condemned gay rights in schools, regarding occasional school events, where boys and girls had to swap uniforms. She noted that denouncing gay rights on school children is maintaining social order and restoring respect in schools, because parents and teachers are highly concerned.
School learners should adhere to schools’ dress code of conduct, she said.
When The Star enquired whether Sara was driving a homophobic narrative, Makhubele said: “Sara policies vehemently reject introduction of transgender and gay propaganda in primary level schools. Sara does not want gay, or LGBTQ rights forced on our children at schools. We are not homophobic, but we don’t take our children to school to learn how to be gay. We take our children to school to learn science, technology, accounting, maths and engineering so that they can compete with global counterparts, for them to have better opportunities and jobs.
“Sara is a Godly party, our religious beliefs and children’s development is more important than an indecent dress code and gay social issues.”
The Apex law constitutes same sex marriages and gay rights in South Africa.
Contesting Sara’s policies on gay rights, non-binary member and activist of LGBTQIA rights, whose pronouns are “they and them” emphasised that all South Africans, including children, have the right to equality.
“Our country is a democracy, where all of its citizens, including children have the right to practise their sexuality without being discriminated. Sexuality is what you are born with. What Sara is opposing, will actually educate children on gender studies. They are able to discover themselves to an extent, this will deter discrimination of queer people and homosexual incited murders,” said Ntokozo Ntshingila.
Makhubele explained that indecent uniforms are becoming prevalent, especially in black public schools where girls wear miniskirts and cleavage showing clothing that sexualises them, while boys wear muscle T-shirts and sagging pants that expose their underwear, and this criminalises them.
Furthermore, Makhubele stated that appropriate uniforms are a tool for learner safety, in particular girls, with an extreme rate of teacher-pupil rape cases and preventing the increase of teenage pregnancy.
Asked why Sara policies are not holding paedophilic teachers accountable, Makhubele said: “We are not only opposing indecent dress code in schools, we are addressing paedophile teachers. What teachers are doing is wrong, and they should be jailed. However, children must dress properly and not expose their bodies, they must look like children.”
To address inappropriate uniforms, Sara will set up policies for modest uniforms, advocate for disciplinary procedures to regulate requirements for a proper school uniform and provide a uniform subsidiary for poverty stricken families.
“We need to be consistent with values that make our children aware that what they wear can be a distraction to everyone: girls, boys and teachers,” said Makhubele.
Sara will also induct compulsory gun licensing for women to curb continuous rising statistics of gender-based violence (GBV).
The Star questioned if advocating for gun ownership will incite gun violence and femicide, Makhubele told the paper that gun ownership is for protecting women, especially black women as they are most vulnerable to GBV to be self-reliant.
“South Africa already has gun violence that is out of control, due to crime that is out of control. Women are primary targets of these unlicensed firearms. Women will be trained to obtain gun ownership, adhering to the gun control act. When you are a firearm carrier, you know how to responsibly use it, it is for women to defend themselves,” said Makhubele.
Sara is adamantly against the death penalty to control GBV, but “we are calling for the protection of women, hence, we want them to own guns and defend themselves against perpetrators”.
Makhubele lamented that the current government, and previous presiding presidents have failed to end GBV thus, Sara is calling for gun ownership.