Mama Afrika pushes for LGBTQI+ party

Activist Mama Afrika (Nicodemus Auxumub) says there is a need to start a political party for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and other (LGBTQI+) community.

“Enough is enough. We have given our votes to them, and they have violated us. Now it is time for us to come together and start our own political party,” Mama Afrika said at a media conference in Windhoek yesterday.

The gathering included members of civil society, the LGBTQI+ community, and allies, and responded to the outcry following a recent judgement by the Supreme Court that same-sex marriages validly concluded outside Namibia should be recognised by the government.

Ethne Mudge, the editor of Sister Namibia, said the media also incites hate speech by presenting the LGBTQI+ community in a certain way.

Equal Namibia founder Omar van Reenen related how the LGBTQI+ community experiences hate speech, discrimination and negligence by law-enforcement agencies when reporting cases of abuse and violence.

Freelance journalist Hildegard Titus said according to a an Afrobarometer survey, 64% of Namibians are tolerant of their queer neighbours.

“We need the majority of Namibians to stand up. We need to remember that Swapo only won with 62,53% in the last election.

“We need to remind our leaders that they are not here to serve their personal agendas and personal views, but to uphold the dignity and rights of every Namibian. This is not a political issue, it is a human rights issue,” Titus said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Richard Metcalfe expressed his disappointment in the government’s decision to bring a bill to parliament seeking to modify the common law principle that recognises same-sex marriages concluded in other countries. Metcalfe said attempting to revoke a Supreme Court decision through legislative means undermines the separation of powers enshrined in the Namibian Constitution.

He criticised the move as an affront to the Constitution and a dangerous attempt to weaken the judiciary.

Metcalfe emphasised the importance of respecting Supreme Court decisions, even if one disagrees with them, and emphasised that any legislation aimed at stripping individuals or minority groups of their constitutional rights would likely be struck down by the superior courts.

“How ironic that our aged heroes and retired clerics now invoke apartheid tactics to discriminate openly against fellow Namibians, yet laud our superior courts when a decision is made in their favour,” Metcalfe said.

He emphasised the crucial role of the judiciary in interpreting the law and guiding the moral compass of the nation regarding the constitutional right to dignity and respect for all.

According to Metcalfe, the Supreme Court’s ruling is legally sound, logical, and deserves to be respected and implemented.

“We need to hang our heads in shame when we deny respect for the dignity of others in the name of religion or politics,” Metcalfe said.

He argued that a referendum, which some have suggested, would be futile due to the prevailing hate speech and lack of respect displayed towards fellow Namibians.

This comes after prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila this week announced that the executive plans to table an anti-same-sex marriage bill in parliament.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila in the National Assembly said: “And now, when we realise through that ruling that there is that interpretation, because of the common law, we are following the prescriptions of our constitution, which says we can only rectify that by bringing a law that is passed lawfully, according to the provisions of the Constitution, in order to provide that marriage can only be between a man and a woman of mature age, willingly entered into.”

She said the intention of the Constitution and subordinate laws was that marriage is to be between a man and a woman of mature age, and consenting.

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