Paramedic suspended for suggesting gay marriages caused deadly fire

There are many things that could cause a natural disaster; a sudden spike in temperature, plate tectonics, climate change. There's a list.

One thing that doesn’t come to mind is gay marriage.

One paramedic in South Africa has been suspended for insinuating just that.

Afrikaaner ‘Bossie’ Boshoff took to Facebook to blame homosexuals for deadly fires that swept over large parts of South Africa, killing over six people including a three year old child and a fire fighter.

Boshoff said the fires were an example of God’s revenge after the country allowed 12 gay marriages to take place.

Picture: Boshoff/Facebook

His post read:

Can you remember last year when Knysna was made up in pink and 12 homosexual marriages took place on one day? 

It was only after the election of the Dutch Reformed Church when they approved gay homosexual marriage. 

It was all over the newspapers. It dared god.

They mustn’t cry now about the fire.

God doesn’t let himself be mocked.

Boshoff has been suspended and faces a disciplinary panel next week.

Craig Grindell Netcare 911 managing director told Metro:

Netcare and Netcare 911 have a firm, zero tolerance stance towards discrimination of any kind.

We will not hesitate to take the strongest possible action when made aware of any action, and or behaviour, of a staff member which transgresses the company’s values, ethics and code of conduct.’

Boshoff has since deleted his Facebook account.

The story mirrors a similar incident from 2014 when a Ukip councillor blamed bad weather on same sex marriage in the UK.

In a letter to the Henley Standard, the Henley-on-Thames councillor wrote:

The scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its faith and acts contrary to the Gospel (and in naked breach of a coronation oath) will be beset by natural disasters such as storms, disease, pestilence and war.

The councillor blamed Mr Cameron, the Prime Minister at the time, for the ‘large swathes of the nation [that had] been afflicted by storms and floods.’

More: LGBT people who get married are healthier and happier, study shows