MEYERTON – There has been an uproar on social media about the Gay Pride flag being displayed in front of the office of the Midvaal Local Municipality.

The flag is an LGBTIQA+ symbol that aims to reflect freedom and diversity and instill pride in the country’s LGBTIQA+ community.

Church groups and conservatives took offense last week after photos of the rainbow flag were widely shared on social media and complained that residents were not consulted.

The flag flies together with the flags of the African Union, South Africa, and the Midvaal Local Municipality in front of the municipality’s office on Mitchell Street.

However, according to the Mayor of the Municipality Peter Teixeira, the flag is nothing new and has been flying at the municipal offices for several years. He told Vaalweekblad that he finds it strange that there is suddenly such a fuss about the flag.

According to Teixeira, his predecessor, the former mayor of the Midvaal Local Municipality Bongani Baloyi, decided to display the flag in front of the municipality, because they wanted to show the community that the council stands for everyone and respect everyone’s views and religions.

Vaalweekblad understands that the Midvaal Municipality already raised the rainbow flag in 2018 when they signed a pledge on Independence Day to promote and protect the rights and freedoms of the LGBTIQA+ community.

Teixeira says: “There was a period when the LGBTIQA+ community was heavily victimised in South Africa. There was also a case of people who were killed because they belonged to this group.” This gave rise to the LGBTIQA+ community insisting that their rights be recognised.

Teixeira says he did not want to get involved in the social media feud. “One can see that it upsets some residents, while other residents are in favor thereof. We don’t want to sow division in the community,” says Teixeira.

The mayor appealed to residents to accept the faiths and orientations of others and to help build an inclusive municipality.

“We respect everyone. The LGBTIQA+ community is part of our community. They are our brothers. They are our sisters. There are people in the LGBTIQA+ community whose parents are also conservative but have accepted that their children are part of that community. For us, it’s about showing respect and showing that the LGBTIQA+ community is also part of this beautiful municipality,” Teixeira concluded