Swapo to discuss gay stance on Monday

A special Swapo politburo meeting has been called for Monday, following what has been described as an explosive meeting of the party’s top four leaders on Wednesday to discuss a recent Supreme Court ruling that compels government to recognise foreign same-sex spouses married to Namibians in terms of the country&#039;s immigration laws.As Namibian Sun reported a week ago, the central committee and politburo urged the top four of the party to meet between 31 May and 1 June to discuss the matter.The meeting took place on Wednesday, 31 May, with ‘iron ladies’ secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa and vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah allegedly demanding a clear position from the party.The top four comprises the two, as well as party president Hage Geingob and deputy secretary-general Uahekua Herunga.The Supreme Court judgment, largely misconstrued to mean same-sex marriages are now recognised in Namibia, has caused consternation within the ruling party ahead of the 2024 election. A nationwide demonstration against the judgment is planned for today by a coalition of churches.Although Swapo has not collectively pronounced itself on the ruling, its spokesperson Hilma Nicanor previously told Namibian Sun that the party opposes it.Make it clearIn the Wednesday meeting, Nandi-Ndaitwah, the party’s presidential candidate next year, is said to have demanded from fellow leaders that the party pronounces itself and make its views known to the voters – the majority of whom seem to also oppose the ruling.There is a feeling amongst Nandi-Ndaitwah supporters that if the party displays a pro-homosexuality stance going into the 2024 election, it could scupper her chances of becoming Namibia’s first female president.“In that top four meeting, it was made clear that Netumbo would be disadvantaged in the election if Swapo endorses the pro-gay stance, because the majority of the voters are opposed to this judgment,” a party official said.It is understood that a large section of Swapo leaders are leaning towards the idea of issuing a policy directive to distance the party from the ruling and maintain its traditional anti-gay stance.Another school of thought, however, is that the party risks being seen as attacking the judiciary if it chooses to pronounce itself publicly.These were some of the matters that were ventilated on Wednesday when the leaders met to discuss the way forward.‘Too liberal’Namibian Sun reported last week that after the top four and the formal structures of the party have deliberated on the issue, Swapo planned on summoning all its members of parliament and instructing them to reject - through legislation - the court ruling.There was also a push within the party to allegedly isolate Geingob and rely on the remaining three members of the top four, because the head of state is viewed as "too liberal" and thus likely to support same-sex marriages and the verdict.Geingob has not directly commented on the ruling so far, with his office only urging the nation to disagree respectfully on the issue.His spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari could not be reached for comment yesterday.Nicanor yesterday said she cannot comment on the deliberations of the top four.“The structures will meet soon to deliberate,” she said, seemingly in reference to Monday’s planned meeting.Historically anti-gayFormer Swapo president Sam Nujoma was very vocal on his anti-gay stance during his days in office.In 1997, a Swapo statement backing Nujoma’s rhetoric at the time read: “Most of the ardent supporters of these perverts are Europeans who imagine themselves to be the bulwark of civilisation and enlightenment ... we made sacrifices for the liberation of this country and we are not going to allow individuals with alien practices such as homosexuality to destroy the social fabric of our society”.Swapo went on to win the general elections two years later in 1999, with Nujoma gaining 77% of the vote to claim a controversial third term in the office, while Swapo gained 78%.

Swapo to discuss gay stance on Monday

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-01

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Swapo to discuss gay stance on Monday

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-01

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