Hertta-Maria
Member of Parliament, Jerry Ekandjo has rejected calls for an apology regarding past remarks made by late Founding President Sam Nujoma against the LGBTQI+ community.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Ekandjo dismissed any obligation to apologise, stating that neither he nor the party owed anything to the LGBTQI+ community.
“The lesbians engaged in yesterday’s newspaper say we must apologise. Nujoma never owed them anything. In Swapo, we don’t need their votes either. We don’t need them,” Ekandjo said.
He further added that the LGBTQI+ community should seek forgiveness from God rather than expecting an apology from political leaders.
“They must ask for an apology from God because they have transgressed as human beings. This should be clear,” he said.
Ekandjo’s remarks follow a statement by Nicodemus Auxumub, better known as Mama Afrika, one of Namibia’s first gay rights activists, published in The Namibian newspaper.
Auxumub recently expressed forgiveness towards Nujoma, despite the former president’s past anti-LGBTQI+ stance.
Nujoma has previously criticised gays and lesbians, calling them “unnatural,” thereby taking a similar stance to his close ally, the late Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe.
In March 2001, Nujoma issued a statement ordering the purging of homosexuals from his African nation.
“Lesbianism and homosexuality, this we condemn and reject. In Namibia there will be no lesbians, no homosexualism,” Nujoma said.
“Police are ordered to arrest you, deport you and imprison you.” Nujoma made similar remarks in 1997 at the Swapo Women’s Council Congress, saying, “Homosexuals must be condemned and rejected in our society.”
Ekandjo has previously defended the party’s position against LGBTQI+ recognition, maintaining a conservative stance on the issue.
Auxumub recounted being assaulted by Namibian Defence Force (NDF) members during Nujoma’s presidency, allegedly as a result of his rhetoric.
“The members of the NDF beat me up, stripped me naked, stopped vehicles and told people to look at my private parts because I was born a man but had the face of a woman,” Auxumub said.
Despite these experiences, Auxumub said she harbours no hatred towards Nujoma.
The SWAPO veteran has previously defended the party’s position against LGBTQI+ recognition, maintaining a conservative stance on the issue.
