Controversial US pastor, Steven Anderson, on Tuesday was to be deported from Botswana after the country’s government declared him a prohibited immigrant.
After being barred from visiting South Africa last week, Anderson travelled to Botswana for his “soul-winning marathon†and to begin efforts to set up a church in that country.
“Pastor Steven Anderson, a USA citizen has been declared a prohibited immigrant and as such is being deported from Botswana,†tweeted a Botswana government account.
Anderson had hoped to drop anchor in Botswana because, as in many African countries, homosexual acts are illegal in Botswana.
After his visa for South Africa was rejected last week, Anderson posted on his Facebook page: “Thank God we still have a wide open door in Botswana.â€
But BBC Africa reported that Anderson was arrested after doing a radio interview in the capital, Gaborone.
He was recently also barred from the United Kingdom. Anderson is widely known for his anti-gay sentiments on social media.
He reportedly told congregants at his Arizona-based Faithful Word Baptist Church that there are now “50 less paedophiles in this world†following the June 12 massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida that left 49 people dead.
The nightclub was frequented by gay patrons.
The South African Department of Home Affairs barred Anderson and members of the Faithful Word Baptist Church because “they promote hate speechâ€.
– African News Agency (ANA)
