Deputy President, South Africa is a beacon in Africa for the protection of the rights of LGBTIQ+ community. You have quoted from the Bill of Rights, which is the backlog of the rights that we are talking about. But what you have not touched on is the recent judgement of the Constitutional Court that says whilst we respect the sovereignty of our neighbours, we must always strive to ensure that our relations with our neighbours are guided by relations with a just equal, peaceful, human rights orientated and contribute to the democratic order.
Now Deputy President, 34 countries in Africa has anti-gay legislation in their books. The irony is the majority of this legislation is actually colonial error legislation, it is not African, and it's the European legislation. That is the legislation, that's the irony. In places like Sudan, Somalia, Somali land,
Moratoria, Northern Nigerian, homosexuality is punishable by death. Uganda wants to make homosexuality punishable by death. In places like Kenya, there was recently an attempt to appeal anti-gay legislation. The Kenyan High Court turned it down and it's not only the gay community being targeted. Heterosexual allies like myself, I am an ally of the community, if I lived in Nigeria, I can go to jail for 10 years for assisting a homosexual friend.
So my question to you, surely as the man tasked with assisting the President in the running of this country, I am asking you here and now to take a principle stand and with pride. Take a stand and condemn the actions of African legislators across Africa involved in the Human Rights abuse. I ask you to do that, hon Deputy President. [Applause.]