Reason behind: Home Office faced with a petition to cancel Chris Brown SA's concert (PO)

The Department of Home Affairs and Minister Leon Schreiber has been named in a petition to revoke Chris Brown’s visa into South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs has been named in a petition to cancel Chris Brown’s upcoming SA concerts. Images via Instagram: @chrisbrown

Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber has been addressed in a petition to stop Chris Brown from coming to South Africa. The petition was made by the gender-based violence (GBV) organisation Women For Change.

The US singer – who was convicted of domestic abuse and has a long history of criminal activity – will be performing in Johannesburg in two concerts on 14 and 15 December.

His performance will come just days after the government’s 16 Days of Activism campaign dedicated to ending GBV.

Meanwhile, Investigation Discovery is set to air a documentary about Chris Brown’s “history of abuse” later this month.

CHRIS BROWN PETITION GAINS MOMENTUM AMID SOLD-OUT CONCERTS

While thousands of South Africans are gearing up to attend Chris Brown’s December concerts, GBV activists Women For Change are pressuring authorities to intervene.

Due to his criminal history, the singer has previously been banned from entering Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

A Change.Org petition – which has garnered over 8 000 signatures – has been addressed to Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber. In its motivation, Women For Change calls on the department to revoke Chris Brown’s visa and prevent him from performing in South Africa.

It read: “As a nation committed to fighting GBVF, how can we justify providing a platform to someone with a known history of abuse? It is imperative that we send a message that South Africa stands with survivors, not perpetrators.”

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A post shared by Women For Change (@womenforchangesa)

CALL FOR BIG CONCERTS TO CANCEL THE SHOW

The GBV organisation is also calling on promoters Big Concerts to cancel the concerts.

Spokesperson Bulelwa Adonis told Newzroom Afrika: “Although he is a believed entertainer, the matter of fact is we are still the rape capital of the world. We cannot practise selective activism, we don’t support or condone people who are violent.
Should Chris Brown be banned from entering South Africa based on his criminal history? Many GBV activists believe so.
Images via Instagram:
@chrisbrown

We shouldn’t allow anybody to gain access to our country simply because he is on people’s playlists and people love him.

“This is bigger than ‘let’s give the people what they want.’ This is, “Let’s address the elephant in the room, and that is GBV.”

HOME AFFAIRS REMAINS MUM ON PETITION

While Women For Change has undoubtedly come under fire for their “unpopular opinions” about Chris Brown, a few social media users are also demanding answers from authorities.

The South African reached out to the Department of Home Affairs for their official response to both the concerns and the petition against Chris Brown. This article will be updated when it is received.