Namibia: The Government Wants to Make Same-Sex Marriage Illegal

This bill specifies that the spouses can only be of opposite sexes—what was obvious in 1961. “A spouse, the bill indicates, ‘means a person, whether male of female, who is married to a person of the opposite sex’,” ACI Africa quotes.

The Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF) sent a statement to ACI Africa, congratulating Dr. Kawana “for the principled decision to reject the inclusion of same-sex relations in the Marriage Bill 2024 of Namibia.”

This statement once again shows Africa’s fierce resistance against the “sin of ignominy.” Thus, the ACPF is pleased by this decision, which “upholds the traditional values and cultural norms that are integral to our identity and heritage.”

The Forum further remarks that the Namibian government’s decision is “a reaffirmation of this constitutional principle” which “underscores the traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.” ACI Africa continues that this “reaffirmation” is “a signatory to various international treaties and conventions that emphasize the protection of the family and traditional marriage, they further say.”

Finally, “Africa’s Christian professionals refer to [...] the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights which they say recognizes the family as the natural unit and basis of society that needs protection by the State in terms of ‘its physical health and moral.’

“The African Charter, they say, ‘mandates member states to safeguard the family as a natural unit’, a responsibility that they say further supports”—in the ACPF’s judgement—“‘the exclusion of same-sex marriages in Namibia’s legal framework.’”

Finally, the Christian professionals “urge the country’s president to reject the two previously proposed Marriage Bills, and add, ‘The Marriage Bill 2024, as it stands, is comprehensive and sufficient,’” being “‘confident that the President will proceed to sign this important Bill into law, thereby reinforcing our collective commitment to the principles of traditional marriage.’”