Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, has recently become the focal point of demonstrations opposing a legislative move to legalise same-sex relationships. The city’s streets were filled with mainly religious factions marching against a bill that is designed to align with a 2019 court decision advocating LGBTQ rights.
Botswana’s High Court in 2019 deemed the penalties for same-sex relationships – potential incarceration – as unconstitutional. This landmark ruling was met with governmental resistance, which sought to overturn it, only to face defeat in the Court of Appeal in 2021.
Opposition to the legislative reform was voiced by various demonstrators. One protester exclaimed, “We are saying no to this abomination, no. It’s a sin. Botswana is a Christian country.”
Another articulated the significance of family in the country, explaining, “It means that family is the strongest union in our country, not only does it reduce infant mortality rate, it strengthens the family, it helps a child in growing up with moral standards that are law-abiding in the country.”
Representing the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB), an organisation incorporating Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, Pulafela Siele insisted that the bill be halted. Siele contended, “Now, following the ruling that the two sections in the penal codes must be deleted, we know very well and we felt that is going to legalise homosexuality. Our view is not that we hate them, our view is that it is a law that is not going to benefit us as a nation.”
Wynter Mmolotsi, an MP, added, “Well, this is what Christians believe should happen and Christians clearly do not agree with this. And therefore they are giving us a guideline of how we should debate the law. I mean those are the dictates, I mean they are dictating to us what God dictated to us.”
These demonstrations follow a broader regional trend opposing LGBTQ rights in southern Africa. Last week, Malawi saw thousands of protesters take to the streets before a constitutional court case, seeking to contest the country’s prohibition of same-sex relationships. Protesters, backed by religious groups, held placards proclaiming “we say no homosexuality” and “protect our children”.
Pastor Pulafela Mabiletswane Siele of the Evangelical Fellowships of Botswana presented a petition to the parliament, arguing that the bill “would open floodgates of immorality and abomination”. Siele urged, “We urge our parliament to opt for a referendum regarding this matter.”
This opposition to LGBTQ rights is not isolated to Botswana or Malawi. In Namibia, legislators have shown support for laws banning same-sex marriage and penalising its proponents. This follows a Supreme Court verdict allowing recognition of certain unions contracted overseas.
The bill, which seeks to erase the penal code provisions relating to same-sex relationships, is expected to be debated in the coming weeks. Receiving the petition on behalf of the parliament, Wynter Mmolotsi stated that the views of the church would be considered by MPs.
However, Botswana’s LGBTQ rights group LEGABIBO released a statement earlier this month expressing concerns over religion being ‘weaponised’ to skew the church’s message, which they assert should be one of “love and restoration”.
Image Credit: Michele Wales on Unsplash
