In Zimbabwe, outed gay journalist 'not going anywhere' - despite Mugabe's threats

Mukondiwa

By Paul Canning

A gay journalist, Robert Mukondiwa, discovered in flagrante delicto with a man in Namibia whilst covering a visit by President Mugabe says he is "not going anywhere". This is despite the news of the outing apparently reaching Mugabe who reportedly asked who was 'protecting him'.

Mukondiwa is a senior Zimbabwean journalist. Last year he was reportedly caught having sex with another reporter in the newsroom of government owned The Herald by a security guard.

Zimbabwe Reporter said:

Editors at Zimpapers take turns to accompany the President on his lucrative trips where they are paid hefty allowances. Mukondiwa accompanied President Mugabe to cover the summit of liberation war movements in SADC last week.

While in Windhoek, Mukondiwa, one of the finest journalists in the country, reportedly shared a room with an intelligence operative to mitigate the costs. But while the CIO operative was away, Mukondiwa hired a male gay hooker for a good time.

But the CIO operative returned earlier than anticipated and walked in on the two while they were humping. He reportedly alerted Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba. The matter was said to have reached Mugabe’s ears, who blew his top.

The newspaper suggested that he was being protected by Information minister Webster Shamu.

According to opposition website Zimbabwe News Online Mukondiwa is on the payroll of the ruling ZANUPF party and is a member of Mugabe's presidential staff.

Zimbabwe Online Press says he may face another disciplinary hearing. Before his last one a Herald source told Zimdiaspora:

“We have no problem in the two having a homosexual relationship, but converting the newsroom into a bedroom is uncalled for."

Meanwhile, pinknews.co.uk reports that homophobia is being used to fuel a schism in the Anglican Church that favours Mugabe supporters . This led last week to one priest being driven from his home.

Related articles

• Video: LGBT Zimbabweans: 'Tinzweiwo (Hear Our Plea)' (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• In Zimbabwe, LGBT activists furious over media reports of a rape (madikazemi.blogspot.com)

In Uganda, transgender and intersex Africans meet, strategise

Source: Behind the mask

By Betesta Segale

A meeting attended by Transgendered and intersex African activists recently resolved to act on the issue of the treatment of sexual minorities in Uganda. The activists came to the decision during the recent Transgender, Intersex African Exchange programme held from May 9 to 14 2011, when they declared that it was high time to speak out on the issue that has gripped the international LGBTI community since the so-called Bahati Bill promoting the imprisonment and killing of gay people was revealed in late 2009.

During the exchange programme, participants from outside Uganda experienced the challenges of LGBTI activists in Uganda who have to work underground in an environment where they feel their mere existence is illegal.

Homosexuality in the country is criminalised under the ‘unnatural offences’ provision of Section 145 of the Penal Code Act of Uganda Cap 120.

The activists questioned how policy makers could claim to hate something that they do not know, and argued that homosexuality is not unAfrican.

Amongst those who were gathered for the exchange programme were 15 LGBTI activists from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. Of these 10 were transmen, four were transwomen and one was an intersex person who identifies as a man.The activists were supported by the two organisations which organized programme, Gender Dynamix (GDX) from Cape Town whose director is Liesl Theron and Support Initiative for People with atypical Sex Development (SIPD) from Uganda whose programme director is Julius Kaggwa.

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Wikileaks, Uganda, the gays and the US State Department

The Obamas + Muscevenis

Source: El Pais

By Luis Doncel

[Google translation]

"It is true that I said we would have to cut the head of all homosexuals. But finally I cut one?" I've arrested someone for being gay? No. Senegal it does and get the support of the Millennium Development Goals. I know there are homosexuals in my country. But I am content to live in secret. As are private does not matter. But if you're talking about to be married, that will never happen. We will never accept the gay."
 

These words came from the mouth of the president of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, in February last year. He spoke with U.S. Ambassador, who had come to deal with the president of this tiny West African country on the thorny issue of sexual freedom. "I want your government knows I'm not the monster they think I am," he said. It is true that Jammeh's speech is more aggressive than is customary among some African leaders. But, as shown by dozens of cables sent to Washington by diplomats on the continent, not far from an exception. Homophobia is rampant in the streets and government offices in Africa. And worse, it seems to be more.

The killing last week of David Kato, an activist for the rights of sexual minorities in Uganda, was the last episode of the battle that erupted in 2009 when a group of parliamentarians tried to pass a law condemning to death or life imprisonment for homosexual "repeat offenders". Finally, the rule did not go ahead, thanks largely to pressure from Western governments. But the lock does not mean that the situation now is idyllic: sexual deviance in Uganda is punishable with 14 years in prison. Four countries in Africa, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria and Mauritania, including the death penalty for men who have sex with men, according to the International Association ILGA. In total, 38 African States have laws against homosexuality.
 
A dozen confidential letters sent to Washington between November 2009 and February 2010 have to detail how U.S. diplomats sought to convince President Yoweri Museveni that paralyzed the processing of the law. Even the Catholic Church stepped in to show their opposition to using the Criminal Code against homosexuals, although, he said a cable sent from the Vatican views these actions as a "mortal sin." In addition, documents obtained by Wikileaks, which the country has had access, are the U.S. fear that other governments harden their legislation soon.

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Audio: The State We're In - Being gay in Africa

Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide - 30 January

As Uganda considers strengthening its already homophobic laws, this week we present a special edition of the programme looking at what it's like to be gay throughout Africa with voices from Namibia, Ghana, Uganda and South Africa.

Life for gays?
Africa is not a place to be out and proud right now. Homosexual acts are illegal in 37 countries on the continent and in recent years many African leaders have been increasing the anti-gay rhetoric. In Uganda a proposed law would make being gay punishable by life imprisonment. Jonathan is joined by Ian Swartz, founder of a gay rights organisation in Namibia, and Scott Long from Human Rights Watch in New York.

Lorenzo’s story
Lorenzo is a hairdresser in Cameroon. He met a man in a bar and they clicked and they decided to live together. That’s when the police got involved. Lorenzo spent seven months in prison without trial.

Ian’s story
Ian Swartz founded the Rainbow Project in Namibia at a time when its president began to hound gays and lesbians. The home affairs minister called for their elimination and became known as the minister for homophobic affairs. Ian talks about the abuse he experienced and why it increased his determination to create change.

Prince’s story
Prince Macdonald, in his own words, is gay, proud and African. He lives in the Ghanaian capital Accra and talks about how, despite homosexual acts being illegal in his country, he’s still determined to enjoy life as much as possible.

Steve’s story
Her real name is Mapaseka, but everyone calls her Steve. She was young when she came out to her family. It wasn’t easy, but they eventually accepted her. But when she was 15, She was raped by a family friend who believed she should be shown what it’s like to be a ‘real’ woman. Despite a constitution protecting gay and lesbians, she still feels unsafe.

Link: video interviews with South African victims of 'corrective rape' from The Guardian website.

Namibia: Political Parties Ponder Homosexuality

Image via Wikipedia

Source: The Namibian

by Nangula Shejavali

Various political parties last week set out their position on homosexuality - a subject often regarded as taboo.

The topic has enjoyed very little, if any, discussion in the National Assembly at all, though Jerry Ekandjo in 1998 reportedly stated that he would table anti-homosexual legislation in Parliament.

This never happened.

However, much anti-gay rhetoric has reared its head in the past, with former President Sam Nujoma in 2001 being quoted as saying that "the Republic of Namibia does not allow homosexuality [or] lesbianism here", and "the Police must arrest, imprison and deport homosexuals and lesbians found in Namibia".

At a forum with political parties as part of the Women Claiming Citizenship Campaign, respecting and ensuring the rights of gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual and intersex Namibian citizens - who are often discriminated against for their gender or sexual orientation - was highlighted as a major issue for political parties to address.

When push came to shove in stating their positions, most of the eight parties present - the All People's Party (APP), the Congress of Democrats (CoD), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Namibia Democratic Movement of Change (NDMC), Nudo, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), Swanu, UDF - declared that human rights were for everyone, irrespective of their sexual orientation.

Only NDP and UDF remained silent on the issue.

The NDP's representative, Lukato Lukato, who stated that the party's policy on HIV-AIDS is that "the Lord will respond to this killer disease", made no comment on the homosexuality discussion.

The UDF's Werner Claasen was also silent on his party's position, instead launching into an unwelcome electioneering campaign before being brought to order by the audience, who had come to hear political parties' positions on various issues.

NDMC representative Joseph Kauandenge said: "If a person is lesbian or gay, whose issue is it? It's not a problem as long as it is done in their own private home and in their own private time."

Swanu representative Unaani Kauami expressed the same sentiment, and both came under fire for trying to make the issue of discrimination an insignificant one, with one audience member questioning, "If I am in a relationship, and I am being abused and having my rights violated, is that a private issue? Talking about privatising issues is making it okay. Let's talk about this, dialogue, publicise it," she said.

Swanu later clarified its position, stating that as far as the party was concerned, "it is a violation of human rights to discriminate against someone for their sexual orientation".

APP representative Lena Nakatana also cited human rights as the point of departure, saying that Namibian homosexuals were still Namibians, taxpayers and voters, entitled to the same rights as any other Namibian.

"Whether I support them or not is not the issue," she said.

When a member of the audience questioned the 'human rights' argument of the political parties by terming homosexuality as unethical and saying that gays and lesbians would not go to heaven, Nakatana countered that "whether or not we accept it, gays and lesbians were also made by God".

While Nudo described homosexuality as a "strange new" issue, party representative Utjiua Muinjangue also made it clear that Nudo's position was to respect human rights, irrespective of sexual orientation.

She emphasised that there was a need for openness in discussing homosexuality, adding that "the fact of the matter is that we have these people amongst us, and we need to look at the issue differently, accept them, and all live happily."

RDP representative Steve Bezuidenhout stated that "the supreme law of this land has given rights to all citizens of the country, to all people, irrespective of sex and creed. I don't want to make a special issue of gays and lesbians because they are Namibians, they are taxpayers, and they have rights just as with all Namibians".

He added that "the RDP Government will defend and protect the Constitution. With this protection, the rights of gays and lesbians will be respected."

Noting current national legislation, Congress of Democrats representative Ben Ulenga said that sodomy laws still exist and remain in force in Namibia, stating that this was in stark contrast to ensuring universal human rights, as enshrined in the Namibian Constitution.

He added that his party does not discriminate against anyone in society.

"Gays and lesbians are human beings just like any other person. They are all welcome in the party as anybody else, and are free to run for office in the party," he said.

He added that describing gays and lesbians as a "new or strange" phenomenon was incorrect, as they had been present since time immemorial, adding that there had been homosexuals in the army during his time as a PLAN soldier, and during his time in prison.

Ulenga also promised to introduce the subject in Parliament, noting that there hadn't been any debate on the issue.

Though invited and slated to speak on the programme, the DTA, Swapo, RP and DPN did not send representatives to participate in the discussion.