The DA Abroad Europe notes with concern the absence of the South African government’s representative in Warsaw’s signature on the annual Open Letter raising awareness- and promoting the rights of the LGBT+ community in Poland on the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOT).
This Open Letter is signed by over 50 embassies and international organisations in Warsaw every year. The South African embassy in Warsaw has signed this Open Letter in previous years. We are concerned why this is not the case this year.
Post-apartheid South Africa has a proud history of promoting and protecting the rights of members of the LGBT+ community. In 1996 it became the first country in the world to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in its constitution.
This was followed by legislation and court cases which enshrined into law the equality and protection of members of the LGBT+ community in areas such as the labour market and marriage. South Africa was the fifth country in the world, and the only country in sub-Saharan Africa to permit same-sex marriages and civil unions.
As the ancillary organisation of the DA representing the party outside the Republic of South Africa, the DA Abroad’s mandate includes promoting the party’s liberal values such as respect for individual autonomy and freedom. We hold that LGBT+ rights are human rights and are deserving of protection under the law.
That there has been this oversight by the embassy in Warsaw should come as no surprise. It is well-known among South Africans living and working abroad that there are significant waiting periods of up to two years involved in getting official documents from embassies that generally takes at most several weeks when applied for inside the borders of South Africa.
This is attributable to several factors such as a lack of funds and professionalism in the foreign service, and a general disinterest from DIRCO in assisting citizens living and working abroad. Given this, a plausible explanation for the lack of a signature is that the SA Embassy in Warsaw merely forgot to sign this year. However, it could also be the case that this was a deliberate decision by the embassy.
We call on the South African embassy in Warsaw to explain their decision to not sign the Open Letter, and failing that we call on DIRCO to investigate and publish a report into this matter. We further call on the South African embassy in Warsaw to commit to signing this Open Letter in future years. Correcting what has occurred would be particularly appropriate during global pride month and would reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to LGBT+ rights.
The LGBT+ community in Poland views this letter with significance, and as a diverse and freedom-loving nation, South Africa must champion human rights and freedom for all around the world. As the DA Abroad, we will continue to advocate for the DA’s values of Freedom, Fairness, Opportunity, and Diversity both among South African expatriates as well as in the countries we are active in.
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