Namibia recognises same-s.e.x marriages concluded abroad with foreign spouse
Namibia‘s Supreme Court on Tuesday recognised same-s.e.x marriages contracted abroad between citizens and foreign spouses, a landmark ruling in a country where homosexuality is illegal. The decision overturns a ruling reached last year by the High Court, which refused to accept same-s.e.x marriages concluded outside Namibia.
Two Namibian nationals had sought recourse from the courts after the ministry of home affairs and immigration refused to grant permits to same-s.e.x foreign spouses whom they had married outside the country.
This Court accordingly found that the approach of the Ministry to exclude spouses, including the appellants, in a validly concluded same-s.e.x marriage… infringes both the interrelated rights to dignity and equality of the appellants,” the ruling said. Annette Seiler, who is married to German national Anita Seiler-Lilles, brought the case along with Namibian citizen Johann Potgieter and his South African husband, Matsobane Daniel Digashu.
Their marriages were respectively concluded in Germany and South Africa Namibia has seen a flurry of court cases on the rights of same-s.e.x couples to marry, become parents and immigrate.
Homos.e.xuality is illegal in Namibia under a rarely-enforced 1927 sodomy law dating to its period under South African rule. South Africa, under its liberal post-apartheid constitution, is the sole African nation which allows gay marriage, legalised in 2006.
In March this year, the same paramount court overturned a decision by a lower court to grant citizenship to a gay couple’s four-year-old son who was born in neighbouring South Africa through surrogacy.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Mzansi Reacts To Nadia Nakai’s Alleged Mother’s Day With DJ Zinhle and Pearl Thusi
Since the passing of her boyfriend and legendary local rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, Nadia Nakai has received what looks like overwhelming support from best friends DJ Zinhle, Pearl Thusi, and Nomuzi “Moozlie” Mabena.
So much so that Nadia has in the past asserted how her initially choosing Casper’s camp might have not been a great idea. As reported at the time. Learn more
