Rainbow Pedestrian Crossing in Cape Town Vandalised Twice in a Few Days
A rainbow pedestrian crossing in Cape Town (South Africa)’s Green Point district, which symbolizes support for the LGBTQ+ community, has been vandalised twice within a few days. According to the South African publication MambaOnline , a man suspected of painting the graffiti was arrested after the second incident.
The first attack occurred over the weekend when unknown individuals poured black paint over the crossing and wrote the word “Jesus” on it. Ward Councillor Ian McMahon stated that the authorities were forced to temporarily paint the entire crossing pink because they did not have the required specialized colours in stock to restore the rainbow design. According to the councillor, the necessary paint has been ordered, but delivery may take around three months.
A few hours after the pink coating was applied, the crossing was defaced again. This time, a vandal used white paint to scrawl religious messages, including “Perversion, Romans 1:24-27” and “Jesus is Lord.” It remains unclear whether the same person is responsible for both incidents, but a suspect was arrested this time.
The rainbow crossing on Somerset Road was inaugurated in 2022. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis stated at the time that the project was intended to demonstrate the city’s hospitality and readiness to embrace diversity. The initiative immediately met with resistance from conservative political and religious groups. The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) unsuccessfully demanded the crossing’s removal, citing violations of road traffic regulations. In 2023, local politician Mehmet Vefa Dag urged his supporters to paint over it with black paint, although the threatened action never took place.
