WATCH | Zodwa Wabantu: Petition won't get them anywhere - I'm no homophobe

Zodwa Wabantu has come out to defend herself after a petition was started demanding that popular TV channel Moja Love cancel her reality show after several "homophobic" statements were allegedly made by the star on Sunday night's episode of the show.

In the episode, Zodwa made comments about gay people being too dramatic and "forgetting that they don't have vaginas". There have been several calls for Zodwa to be called to book following the comments, and a petition was started by disgruntled fans. 

Among those were Somizi's bae Mohale Motaung, who took to Twitter in a now deleted series of tweets to ask people to cancel Zodwa.

Zodwa's comments were also slammed by LGBTIQ+ rights organisation Iranti, who called for a meeting with Zodwa and the producers of the show to "discuss the harmful impacts the episode may have on LGBTIQ+ people".

TshisaLIVE reached out to Moja Love for comment on the backlash, petition and future of Zodwa's show, but were unsuccessful at the time of publishing this article.

Zodwa told TshisaLIVE that she was not homophobic and wasn't phased by the petition. She said people who found her comments homophobic, missed the context behind it.

"People just jumped to conclusions. I said what I said in reference to three gay men who have done some sh*tty things in my life. It was a personal story that I was telling and my feelings towards those particular gay people. Not the entire LGBTQ+ community," she said

She explained that the group of people she was referring to had done horrible things to her, such as stealing her stuff among other things.

"Gay people are human before they are gay. So when they are not acting in a humane manner, must we keep quiet about it because we are going to be labelled homophobic?

"That's not how it works. I love gay people, I love that whole community and they have supported me in my career. Why would I judge them for being gay, when I am so often judged for being me? What I said was not homophobic... maybe it was spicy but I'm no homophobe."

"People must remember that it's a reality show, my reality show. If I have been treated badly by gay people I will call them out on their behaviour and that doesn't mean I'm against the whole community," she said.

Zodwa said those looking for any further explanation should watch her show to better understand what she meant.