The band started a petition to stop the performance of the American artist. It is now over , external20 thousand signatures. , external
“The petition was started to send a strong signal that we will not tolerate honoring people who have committed violence against women in the past,” Ms Walter said, especially in a country like South Africa.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.
Roughly the number of rapes reported in the country every 12 minutes, external and it is believed that many others remain unrecorded.
“When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a damaging message – that fame and power trump responsibility,” Ms Walters said.
The most famous case in the history of abuse of Chris Brown is a family quarrel with the singer Rihanna in 2009.
Chris Brown, who was 19 at the time, pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to five years of probation, community service and domestic violence counseling.
Although Rihanna forgave him, and the couple briefly dated again after the incidentChris Brown has also been accused of violence by other women – and men.
Women for Change say they want to know how the Home Office can grant a visa to a “convicted rapist”.
Ms Walther said the decision was “concerning and indicative of a systemic failure”.
Under South African law, having a previous criminal record can result in a visa being refused. But there can be exceptions for “good cause” and this is authorized by the Director General of the Home Department.
Chris Brown has previously been banned from entering other countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, although he has since continued to play in the UK and other European countries.
But his South African fans were undaunted.
