Hengari defends indecisive Mbumba on anti-gay bills

President Nangolo Mbumba is not in a rush to sign private members’ bill outlawing gay sex in Namibia into law.

This is because he has been consulting widely and wants to deal with the issue in a manner that is fair, transparent and caters to everyone’s rights, press secretary Alfredo Hengari says.

Speaking to Desert Radio on Monday, Hengari said Mbumba is not under any pressure to sign the bill into law as it needs due consideration and deals with issues that affect the rights of other Namibians.

He said Mbumba is dealing with the issue holistically, and is also following the marriage bill presented to the parliament by the minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security.

“As you speak, the minister of home affairs has tabled a bill that deals with some of these matters, because Cabinet is quite important in terms of our policy-making process,” he said.

“When we are facing a policy challenge, we need to take a comprehensive view and not just deal with matters in a manner that is ad hoc and also maybe create more problems for us,” Hengari said.

Hengari said the Presidency is dealing with the matter in a manner that speaks to the country’s democratic principles and law-making processes, adding that the attorney general is dealing with those matters from a legal point of view.

In 2023, Swapo lawmaker Jerry Ekandjo tabled the private member’s bill introduced to define the term “spouse” and amend the Marriage Act of 1961 to block the recognition of same-sex marriages in Namibia.

The bill has been at the table of the Presidency to sign or reject it.

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says the issue is sensitive.

“We must take into account that the policy-making process is very complex and sometimes complicated,” he says.

Kamwanyah says the matter involves people’s rights, hence due process must be followed.

“I will not blame the Presidency for taking too long. I think that consultations and all the interpretations in terms of the law are followed,” he says.