Anti-gay MP says he will take part in debate

TRADITIONAL leader and member of parliament, Phathekile Holomisa, insists he will participate in a parliamentary debate centred on scrapping the freedom of sexual orientation clause from the Constitution.

This is despite an outcry over his perceived homophobic beliefs and how this could influence the debate.

He is co-chairman of the constitutional review committee in parliament and has been heavily criticised, even from parliament itself, for his "anti-gay" views.

But he said he had every right to chair the debate, which has not yet been allocated a date before the committee.

"The principle here is that, as an MP, I represent a constituency and would never allow my personal views (to impact) on an issue before the committee," he said.

He distanced himself from the formal structures of the National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL) which backed a call by its Mpumalanga wing for the removal of the clause.

It emerged this week that speaker of parliament, Max Sisulu, had advised Holomisa to recuse himself when the matter came up for discussion before the committee.

However, the committee's co-chairman, Bafumani Mnguni, has since said there was no conflict of interest.

He said Holomisa, although president of Contralesa, was not part of the NHTL and that they are separate entities.

Holomisa told the Sunday Times his views on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals came from a traditional perspective, which did not recognise the lifestyle.

He said traditional leaders were seeking the removal of the clause as it had been used to set the landmark 2005 Constitutional Court ruling allowing same-sex marriages.