Minster Gigaba to receive human rights award
The Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba will on Saturday receive the Pretoria Pride Human Rights Award for his support of the gay community.
This after Gigaba refused to allow anti gay American pastor Steven Anderson entry to South Africa.
More than 60-thousand signatures were collected and submitted to the Department of Home Affairs, along with a dossier of evidence against Anderson.
Minister Gigaba then announced that Anderson and his followers were declared undesirable persons and their visa exemption statuses revoked.
Co-chairperson of the Pretoria Pride, Bruce Walker says Minister Gigaba took the lead in this matter, stopping the Anderson party from spreading their hate speech in the country.
ALSO READ: Gigaba bans anti-gay US Pastor from entering SA
"This was a real victory for the LGBTI community and thus we want to acknowledge Minister Gigaba. It was groundbreaking and indirectly led to Anderson and his associates subsequently being deported from Botswana as well," Walker told Jacaranda FM News.
"The newly established annual Human Rights Award is awarded to Gigaba for standing up for the LGBTI community and using the laws at his disposal to protect their rights," Walker added.
The Pretoria Pride Parade will take place in Centurion tomorrow with rolling road closures between West and Lenchen streets as the colourful floats make their way through the streets of the Centurion CBD.