Cape Town pastor Oscar Bougardt has sparked controversy after publishing a Facebook post outlining what he says he would do if he became mayor, including pushing for what he described as a “queer-free” Cape Town.
According to the Cape Argus, Bougardt made the comments while promoting the Straight Party ahead of South Africa’s upcoming local government elections on 4 November. However, he said the post did not mean that he was officially standing as a mayoral candidate.
Bougardt outlines plans for Cape Town
In his post, Bougardt promised to reduce water and electricity charges and remove taxes he regarded as unnecessary. He also said he would withdraw municipal funding for WorldPride 2028 and redirect the money towards healthcare, law enforcement and housing for homeless people.
Cape Town is scheduled to host WorldPride in 2028, making it the first African city to stage the international LGBTQ+ event. The city secured hosting rights in November 2024.
When questioned about what his proposed policy would mean, Bougardt said he would oppose municipal funding being used for LGBTQ+ political or advocacy initiatives. He described this as a political position.
He would not confirm whether the Straight Party is registered with the Electoral Commission of South Africa or whether he is a registered candidate.
Previous court orders against Bougardt
The pastor has previously faced legal action over statements relating to sexual orientation.
In August 2023, the Western Cape Equality Court sentenced Bougardt to nine months in prison, suspended for five years, after finding that he had defied earlier orders preventing him from making discriminatory statements.
The order barred him from publishing or sharing statements on social media concerning sexual orientation and other grounds protected under the Equality Act. The suspension remains in place until 2028.
Bougardt told the Cape Argus that he did not believe his latest Facebook post breached the order. He argued that any disagreement over its scope would ultimately need to be decided by a court.
He also acknowledged that a mayor could not bypass council processes and said any attempt to change funding would have to go before the council.
I’m a writer, editor and software developer at Newsroom ZA.
I build things, break them (on purpose), then turn the chaos into clean, readable stories. You’ll usually find me bouncing between breaking news, politics and entertainment.