Zulu king's anti-gay slurs assailed

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A speech by the South African Zulu king allegedly calling gay people "rotten" may be "hate speech," a critic says.

King Goodwill Zwelithini, speaking at a weekend ceremony in rural eastern South Africa commemorating a 19th century military battle, allegedly said that "unacceptable" same-sex relationships were unheard of at the time, and has since faced an outcry of anger, the South African news agency The New Age reported.

"There was nothing like that and if you do it, you are rotten. I don't care how you feel about it, same sex is not acceptable," the king was quoted in the South Africa Times, although a later editorial in the newspaper suggested he was referring to incidents of same-sex sexual abuse.

The government Human Rights Commission said it has obtained transcripts and will look into the matter, and spokesperson Vincent Moaga pointed out to the BBC that "if it is indeed accurate his majesty made the utterances as reported, they constitute hate speech and are inflammatory."

The royal household has denied the comments and is blaming "reckless translation", saying the King's message was misinterpreted.

South Africa's constitution forbids discrimination on sexual orientation, but the BBC reported that homophobia is a widespread phenomenon in the country.