Minister tight-lipped on her SA ‘marriage’
Lawmaker cites political and legal obstacles
Members of the LGBTQI community are demanding law reforms necessary for them to marry locally, saying, unlike the justice minister, they have no resources to marry abroad.
Justice minister Yvonne Dausab has refused to directly answer questions about her rumoured same-sex marriage in South Africa last year, amid murmurs of discontent within the LGBTQI community on the lack of transformation regarding the country’s laws to help them marry locally.
Dausab reportedly married her partner, a local media personality, in South Africa, while this right remains but a pipe dream for many Namibians.
Namibian Sun first approached Dausab in March 2022 to seek confirmation on her nuptials, but the justice minister repeatedly refused to comment on the matter, saying at the time: “As far as your questions on my personal life and family [are] concerned, I have no comment”.
She also reneged on several meetings she had scheduled with this publication to help contextualise her marriage away from the country where she is justice minister, charged with - among other things - leading reforms of the country’s laws barring same-sex marriages.
Prior to becoming minister, Dausab replaced Sacky Shanghala as chairperson of the Law Reform and Development Commission (LRDC), which is mandated to recommend legal reforms.
In her back-and-forth engagements with Namibian Sun, Dausab appeared to hint at difficulties she has in effecting necessary reforms – as demanded by the country’s LGBTQI community.
“I want to particular[ly] remind you that, while I am the minister of justice, I am part of a collective. I don’t make decisions and policies alone.”
On my terms
“If you want an honest conversation, you will do it [on] my terms because we both know you publishing an article with my name is not going to change the political and legal landscape on the issues you [are] raising in the near future.
“Instead, it will just be another platform you create to have people attack my person and judge me. And if that's what you want to achieve, go right ahead. And my reply is without prejudice of my rights,” she said in a recent response.
Towards the end of 2022, Namibian Sun again reached out to the minister to ask about the lack of transformation in law regarding same-sex marriages at a time when she, as the direct custodian of law and justice, got married abroad, a privilege many within the LGBTQI community cannot afford.
In response to this, she simply said she is surprised that members of the LGBTQI community have not raised this concern with her directly, given that she individually and collectively engaged with them.
“I think both you and I know what the policy stance of government is on the LGBTQI question. Where [was] the cohort of the LGBTQI community members who are engaging with you when the [Domestic Violence Amendment] bill was discussed to raise awareness and to lobby members of parliament?
“Where is that community when I am attacked and accused of pushing a personal agenda? I have over the past two years been body shamed, vilified and have suffered a lot of backlash for even just doing my work - such as receiving and tabling the sodomy report at Cabinet,” Dausab said.
She also pointed out that the LGBTQI community has had open access to her and her office since she was in charge of the LRDC.
Engagements
“In the past two years, during my time at law reform and recently as minister, I have attended at least four meetings organised [by] and have engaged with Out-Right Namibia, Diverse Women’s Alliance, Women’s Leadership Centre, Positive Vibes [and] Namibia Equal Rights Movement collectively in their respective organisational capacities.
“I have engaged with them socially, but also they have shared with me their various medium- and long-term strategies, including their concerns and what role they [want] the ministry of justice play to address their issues,” she said.
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Dausab reportedly married her partner, a local media personality, in South Africa, while this right remains but a pipe dream for many Namibians.
Namibian Sun first approached Dausab in March 2022 to seek confirmation on her nuptials, but the justice minister repeatedly refused to comment on the matter, saying at the time: “As far as your questions on my personal life and family [are] concerned, I have no comment”.
She also reneged on several meetings she had scheduled with this publication to help contextualise her marriage away from the country where she is justice minister, charged with - among other things - leading reforms of the country’s laws barring same-sex marriages.
Prior to becoming minister, Dausab replaced Sacky Shanghala as chairperson of the Law Reform and Development Commission (LRDC), which is mandated to recommend legal reforms.
In her back-and-forth engagements with Namibian Sun, Dausab appeared to hint at difficulties she has in effecting necessary reforms – as demanded by the country’s LGBTQI community.
“I want to particular[ly] remind you that, while I am the minister of justice, I am part of a collective. I don’t make decisions and policies alone.”
On my terms
“If you want an honest conversation, you will do it [on] my terms because we both know you publishing an article with my name is not going to change the political and legal landscape on the issues you [are] raising in the near future.
“Instead, it will just be another platform you create to have people attack my person and judge me. And if that's what you want to achieve, go right ahead. And my reply is without prejudice of my rights,” she said in a recent response.
Towards the end of 2022, Namibian Sun again reached out to the minister to ask about the lack of transformation in law regarding same-sex marriages at a time when she, as the direct custodian of law and justice, got married abroad, a privilege many within the LGBTQI community cannot afford.
In response to this, she simply said she is surprised that members of the LGBTQI community have not raised this concern with her directly, given that she individually and collectively engaged with them.
“I think both you and I know what the policy stance of government is on the LGBTQI question. Where [was] the cohort of the LGBTQI community members who are engaging with you when the [Domestic Violence Amendment] bill was discussed to raise awareness and to lobby members of parliament?
“Where is that community when I am attacked and accused of pushing a personal agenda? I have over the past two years been body shamed, vilified and have suffered a lot of backlash for even just doing my work - such as receiving and tabling the sodomy report at Cabinet,” Dausab said.
She also pointed out that the LGBTQI community has had open access to her and her office since she was in charge of the LRDC.
Engagements
“In the past two years, during my time at law reform and recently as minister, I have attended at least four meetings organised [by] and have engaged with Out-Right Namibia, Diverse Women’s Alliance, Women’s Leadership Centre, Positive Vibes [and] Namibia Equal Rights Movement collectively in their respective organisational capacities.
“I have engaged with them socially, but also they have shared with me their various medium- and long-term strategies, including their concerns and what role they [want] the ministry of justice play to address their issues,” she said.
[email protected]
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