Speaking in the National Assembly, Agriculture Minister Helmut Angula drew support from some male counterparts when he lashed out at the Bill for not addressing what he called the "denial of sexual rights".

Angula argued that being denied "sexual rights" also led to domestic violence and needed to be clearly guaranteed in the envisaged legislation.

He likened the denial of sex by a partner to that of "denying someone with food. It is like denying someone with bread."

"It has the capacity to cause violence and when you deny somebody sex every day it can cause serious consequences. We have emotional feelings and that (denial of sex) can lead to psychological disturbances."

Added Angula: "You can't deny me what you have contracted to honour in church when we married. This unreasonable denial of sex must also be accommodated in the Bill."

He attributed most divorces in Namibia to a partner being denied sex.
Further, some people suffered because their partners abandoned the bedroom.

"This also leads to humiliation," he said.

The Minister charged that some people turned into gays and lesbians because they did not get enough heterosexual sex.

"It is all because of sexual denial. As a biology teacher, I know how the body functions," he added.

He supported an earlier call by DTA-UDF coalition MP Phillemon Moongo that the Bill should address the issue of promiscuous married women who allegedly bewitched their husbands with African "juju" so that they could not maintain an erection.

Attorney General Pendukeni Emvula-Ithana interjected to ask Angula whether women with "incapacitated" husbands could also lodge a complaint of "abuse of in that situation".

"There are stages when some people are incapacitated. Do they fall in the category of sickness?," she wanted to know.

Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya asked whether Angula, as a biology teacher, also believed in sorcery.

Cautioned Ithana: "It is difficult to legislate [on] witchcraft."
Mines and Energy Minister Dr Nickey Iyambo said "if witchcraft cannot be tried in common-law courts it can be dealt with in traditional courts. It is a serious matter."

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