A battle between the Namibian government and citizens married overseas saw a victory for love after the Supreme Court ruled that the government must recognize these marriages!
Windhoek, Namibia (19 May, 2023)—A battle has been won for LGBTQIA+ people recently, with love prevailing for Namibian expats and their foreign spouses.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of Namibia ruled that the government must recognise same-sex marriages performed outside of Namibia between its citizens and their foreign partners; something that was previously refused with same-sex marriages being illegal in the nation.
As Daily Maverick reports, the government’s refusal to recognise these marriages for the purpose of immigration law created a barrier to Constitutional rights like dignity and equality.
It was overturned, with many concluding that it could be a huge move in challenging other points of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislature.
According to EWN, two Namibians fought for justice via the law when they had been refused permits by the Ministry of Home Affairs because they were married to foreigners of the same sex.
One was Anette Seiler, married to a German while the other is Johann Potgieter, married to a South African.
Theirs are just some of many court cases fighting to have same-sex marriages recognised for Namibians and Namibian expats, with both the couple’s lawyer Carli Schickerling sharing that the battle had gone on for six years.
Hope for Activists
“[The] verdict and outcome clearly indicates that Namibia is moving towards recognizing diversity in this country irrespective of people’s political or social positioning,”—LGBTQ+ rights activist Linda Baumann.
While many still continue to fight for their recognition and equality across the continent, rulings like this pose the possibility of a more hopeful future, especially when hope is needed on our continent the most. Uganda’s recent anti-homosexuality law that numerous South Africans protested against is just one national case many battled against, as well as Kenya’s LGBTQAI+ crackdown.
With these marriages becoming legal at least for some Namibians, more opportunities become possible for recognition of love as love in the country and poses a stronger case for other African activists too.