NAMIBIA: CHRISTIAN PARTY WANTS GAYS JAILED UNTIL THEY REPENT

Namibia’s Democratic Christian Voice (CDV) party says that gay people should be jailed until they “repent”.

CDV vice-president Oswin Kampala told the Namibian Sun: “We will put them in prison, since they are polluting our nation.”

He added: “Anyone who will repent from being homosexual will be set free from prison.”

Kampala promised to change the Constitution and make the jailing of gay people law should the CDV come into power in the country’s elections next month.

The party did not take part in the previous 2009 elections as it was only formed in 2012.

The Namibian Sun also reported that the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) party has apparently made an about-turn on gay rights.

In June, NEFF founder Epafras Mukwiilongo said that homosexuality is “foreign” and an “evil practice” that is being imposed on Namibia by “imperialists.” He added that, “Namibia will never be ruled by homosexuals.”

Now, the party’s spokesperson, Comi Hiririka, says: “NEFF is not against homosexuals. We have adopted a manifesto that will not discriminate.”

This puts it more in line with South Africa’s gay-affirming Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), along which it is modelled.

Hiririka, however, somewhat confusingly went on to add that while “Our central command team set and discussed different issues and we have decided to be a non-discriminatory party… We were against some of our leaders and the homosexuality they promote.”

Gay rights in Namibia are a contentious issue. Consensual “sodomy” is illegal and could be used to prosecute gay men, although this is not believed to have happened since the country’s independence in 1990.