South African media outlet Media 24 has apologised to controversial Cape Flats pastor Oscar Bougardt after a journalist misquoted him.
Last week News24 reported that Bougardt would be taken to court over his comments, allegedly made during an interview with journalist Jenni Evans.
He was quoted as saying that “99 percent of paedophiles had a homosexual background”.
But the Strandfontein pastor says he was “grossly misquoted”, and yesterday Evans admitted she made a mistake.
Bougardt was interviewed about his relationship with American pastor Steven Anderson, whom he met last year.
Anderson was banned from entering South Africa in September after an outcry by the gay community.
Within a few hours of 49 LGBTI people being gunned down in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Anderson preached: “The good news is that there’s 50 less paedophiles in this world.”
Anderson, of the Faithful Word Baptist Church, and Bougardt have since joined hands to open a church in Eerste River.
Bougardt who was previously sued for R1 million for preaching against homosexuality, says he’s received verbal threats and was sworn at by gay mense following the News24 interview
“I never said that, I said based on research even in the USA, 99% of paedophiles claim they were sexually molested or abused as children or they have a homosexual background. I will not apologise for something I didn’t say,” he says.
In an email to Bougardt, Evans said: "I would like to apologise for the mistake I made in the article about your views on homosexuality. It has been pointed out to me that I inadvertently misunderstood your quote....Please accept my apology and my editor has corrected the article accordingly."
But Bougardt says he is now considering his legal options.