Ekandjo wants his law enacted

Swapo Party backbencher Jerry Ekandjo has accused presidential affairs minister Christine //Hoebes of playing a "cat-and-mouse game" regarding a private member’s bill he tabled two years ago.

"When a bill is passed by a two-thirds majority of all members of the National Assembly and confirmed by the National Council, the president is obligated to give his consent," Ekandjo said.

"Every time I ask the question, the minister is absent; it's a cat-and-mouse game," Ekandjo said during last Thursday’s parliamentary session.

In July 2023, Ekandjo presented bills to the National Assembly that would criminalise the promotion and solemnisation of same-sex marriages, as well as redefine the term 'spouse'.

One of these, the Marriage Act, was recently signed by President Nangolo Mbumba. The Marriage Act of 2024, enacted at the end of last year, already defines marriage as a union between two adults of different genders.

The second law has not yet been signed by the president. "I've been waiting for two years," Ekandjo said. "If the president does not approve a bill, he must inform the Speaker who will then notify the National Assembly."