Pretoria - The ACDP is not singing from the same hymn sheet as the Department of Basic Education about the introduction of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools next year.
The party believes the programme will, among other things, encourage the acceptance and exploration of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities among children aged 5 to 10 at schools. The party also believes the programme will be concentrated on sexually grooming children.
Priests, schoolchildren and church members, led by party president Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, on Saturday marched to the Department of Basic Education in the city to demand the scrapping and removal of the programme from all schools.
Police were there to keep an eye on the marchers, who demanded that the department not import sexual behaviour programmes from UN agencies that would “corrupt and poison” the minds of children.
The marchers in their hundreds convened at the intersection of Kgosi Mampuru II and Madiba streets for the march. They sang gospel songs.
Party deputy president Wayne Thring said they previously had not had a problem with the curriculum covering life skills and sex education during life orientation classes as it was taught at an appropriate age.
But the implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Thring said, would just be one step too far. “We believe that understanding anatomy and biology is very critical to the development of learners.
“But we are extremely concerned about the intention by the department to introduce the programme into the curriculum. We believe it is nothing but a sexualisation of our children at the very youngest of ages.
“Sexual education is conducted through Life Orientation, which is age appropriate, but the new programme is certainly not age-appropriate, where teachers teach children from as young as 5 about masturbation as well as oral and anal sex.”
The party gave the department until Friday next week to respond. The ACDP also threatened to organise mass protests in all the provinces if the programme was implemented.