The old saying “when one door closes another one opens” rang true this week for one South African celebrity.
Media personality Somizi Mhlongo made headlines this week when he was prevented from flying to Zimbabwe for a gig he was booked for.
Mhlongo was meant to make an appearance at the reopening of a famous restaurant in Zimbabwe’s capital.
Calls to have him banned from entering Zimbabwe because of his sexuality were made by the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe and Zanu-PF Youth League.
In a letter they wrote to the President’s Office voicing their disapproval and (urging it) to stop Mhlongo from coming to the country, the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe said that Zimbabwe did not tolerate homosexuality.
“It is therefore our question, if we allow Somizi to come to our land, spiritually we would have disturbed a lot, and physically we would have openly accepted homosexuality in Zimbabwe, hence affecting our children.
“This move will also affect our revolutionary party Zanu-PF by disturbing the 5 million votes win needed in the next 2023 harmonised elections for it is publicly known that our party strongly stands against homosexuality,” said the council.
Following this, Mhlongo responded by posting a video on Instagram expressing how he felt.
He said their decision would not affect him but that didn’t make it okay.
He also said that their decision would not change whether or not someone was queer.
Hours later he posted another video saying that he was invited to a gig in Namibia when event organisers found out he was not going to Zimbabwe.
“Yesterday after my Zimbabwean saga of them not wanting me to come there, I got an invite immediately afterwards and here I am now (at the airport), I am going to Namibia, I’ve got a gig tonight, they just booked me. Did a Covid test and I am going,” he said in the video.
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