Africa-Press – Botswana. Religious leaders from the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB) led a demonstration on Saturday to hand over an appeal to Parliament against a bill, which seeks to legitimise homosexual same-sex practices in the country.
The petition, signed by EFB Committee Chairperson, Pastor Jobe Koosimile read in part: “We urge our Parliament to opt for a referendum on this matter to determine what Batswana want and act upon wishes of the majority of the nation.”
“EFB maintains that homosexual practice is a distortion of God’s original purpose plan and a perversion of the sexual relationship as God intended it to be.
The bible clearly abhors homosexuality, and it is the duty of EFB to take the biblical stand that the practice, in whatever form, is sinful and unacceptable. Therefore, homosexuality should not be promoted in any way.”
Francistown South MP Mr Wynter Mmolotsi and Christian Greef, Gaborone Bonnington South MP received the petition on behalf of legislators.
The action comes at the time when government is planning to introduce an amendment bill to repeal Sections 164(a) and (c) of the Penal Code, which at present prohibits consensual same sex sexual activity.
The bill is a response to the Botswana Court of Appeal’s landmark ruling in November, 2021, which declared the provisions unconstitutional and saying criminalising individuals based on their sexual orientation would perpetuate societal stigma, discrimination, hate as well as violence.
Following the pronouncement at the time, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi invited Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) leaders to his office to reassure them that he would respect the court’s decision and protect their rights.
“We demand and expect anybody to respect the decisions of our court,” he said during the meeting with members of LEGABIBO.
However, EFB maintains that Godly moral standards have been part and parcel of Batswana cultural life and religious beliefs, principles and practices for many years.
“All Members of Parliament, the President, the Cabinet and Judiciary have taken an oath of allegiance in the name of God, subjecting their conscience to God.
Therefore, this binds their belief to discharge their services in reverence and fear of God.”
Hundreds of protesters from the EFB, a national association of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches as well as para-church organisations who hold common tenets of faith, carried placards that read, “We say no to homosexuality”, Monna le monna nyaa, “Protect our Children”, “No To Bill 29” and “No To Caucus Vote, Only Conscience Vote”.
EFB’s position is that if Parliament is to act as required by the Bill, such action would open the floodgates of immorality and abomination in the nation, such as same sex marriages, change of school curriculum in order to teach children such practices and institution of laws that label redemptive as ‘hate speech’.
Also, EFB believes that the Bible has the pivotal moral standards ideal for Botswana and other God believing and fearing nation.
“Christianity is not a terror of faith that is superimposed on people, but offers choices to either accept or reject it, yet with known consequences of the decision”.
The Church highlighted social costs that could come with the amendment endorsement, saying it would open for a plethora of unforeseeable complex problems, therefore a strong need for careful treading on such matters.
EFB posits that marriage institution was at high risk as concerned individuals would demand for marital rights.
In Botswana, they said, marriage practices involve two families of man and woman who intend to marry.
“There is lobola to be paid. So, who pays lobola if it’s a man marrying a man or a woman marrying another woman and to which family?
Marriage is a holy matrimonial institution established by God and must be kept pure.”
The association also submitted that there was empirical evidence suggesting that HIV/AIDS prevalence and other sexually transmitted diseases amongst homosexual persons was high due to nature of the practice.
EFB’s Pastor Puafela Siele, said that Christian churches were not against individuals, but argued that the practice of homosexuality was a sin.
He holds a strong belief that anybody who was homosexual can be delivered and set free.
“We love them and want to introduce them to the world of God. Just as the church cares for all sinners, and wants them to repent, it will also do the same with gay men and lesbians.
Any attempt to legitimise sinful acts will meet resistance from the faith community.”
“For example, if there was an attempt to legalise prostitution, witchcraft and corruption among others, we will always speak out.
It does not mean we are inciting violence against the individuals involved in these sinful acts because to go on the streets is our constitutional right as Batswana,” Pastor Siele told a Press Conference last week, prior to the march.
He further said the association was taking action to protect the sanctity of marriage and that “If we change the way we live as a family, it means we will cease to exist.
If we continue to marry a man with a man, surely the offspring, no children will come.”
Pastor Siele said only three types of sex; male, female or intersex were recognised scientifically, and none on homosexuality.
Regarding intersex, he said, was a misfortune of sex and that nothing could be done about it.
For his part, former parliamentary counsel and Christian civic activist, Mr Thebe Ramokhuwa said Batswana could not sit down and watch the enactment unfold without them raising a voice.
“We as Batswana are against Bill No 29 of 2022, with the express intent to bring it to Parliament and pass it into Law,” he said.
Mr Ramokhuwa stated that the Church NO! CAMPAIGN protest was gaining traction and that thousands of letters have been delivered to the 57 Constituency Offices across the country, as believers petition their MPs to denounce or call for national referendum on the bill.
“The movement is picking up momentum and more meetings of this sort will gather in Maun and Francistown. Molepolole Christian community has already delivered a letter to Molepolole North MP Mr Oabile Regoeng,” he said.
Meanwhile, Botswana is one of the few African countries to have decriminalised homosexuality, including Lesotho, Angola and Seychelles.
South Africa, on the other hand, became the first and remains the only African country to legalize same-sex marriage, with a constitution that also protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa passed into law, the Civil Union Amendment Act, which prohibits marriage officers from refusing to conduct same-sex marriages.
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