Placido Hilukilwa
THE eight northern traditional authorities of Ovawambo have joined the growing chorus of Namibians who have rejected the recent Supreme Court decision recognizing the validity of foreign marriage certificates of same-sex couples.
Representatives of the eight Ovawambo tribes—Ondonga, Oukwanyama, Uukwambi, Ngandjera, Uukwaluudhi, Uukolonkadhi, Ombalantu, and Ombadja—held an extraordinary meeting at Ongwediva on Tuesday and urgently wrote a letter to Chief Immanuel Gaseb, the chairperson of the Council of Traditional Leaders, expressing their rejection of the Supreme Court’s decision.
They are requesting the Head of State and Parliament to nullify the decision.
They said that the Court’s recognition of same-sex marriages was contrary to the provisions of Article 14 of the Namibian constitution.
The traditional leaders emphasized that they are the custodians of traditional values, customs, and ethos.
Describing the situation as “diabolical,” the traditional leaders further said that the Supreme Court’s decision critically disregards the accepted norms and traditional practices of their communities and makes the rights of communities subordinate to the Western culture that is promoting the LGBTQ agenda in Africa under the guise of financial aid. They view the decision as a complete interference of Western culture into Namibian culture.
“As traditional leaders, we have a collective responsibility to guide the behaviour of communities under our leadership in a direction that is commonly accepted,” they said.
