By Nicole Tau
A viral Facebook post claiming that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has banned lesbianism and issued a statement supporting the supposed law is false.
A review of Namibia’s legal framework, official government communications, and confirmations from reputable local newsrooms shows that no such ban exists, and the quote attributed to President Nandi-Ndaitwah is fabricated.
The claim, circulated on 2 September 2025 by the Facebook page Afrocania, alleges that women caught in same-sex relationships in Namibia could face three months in jail. The post presents a supposed statement from President Nandi-Ndaitwah, arguing the ban is meant to protect men’s “natural roles” and allow them to “give the women joy.”
However, although the Namibian Marriage Act, 2024 still prohibits same-sex marriages (including those solemnised abroad), Namibia has not criminalised lesbianism. In fact, in June 2024, the High Court of Namibia struck down colonial-era sodomy laws, a landmark judgment that decriminalised same-sex relations between men. Female same-sex relations have never been criminalised under Namibian law.
International and domestic reporting confirm this progressive shift. As the BBC reported in June 2024, Namibia’s judiciary declared sodomy laws unconstitutional, aligning the country with global human rights standards. Similarly, the Human Rights Watch highlighted Namibia’s recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad as part of its evolving rights framework (HRW, 2023).
Additionally, Namibia’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology directly dismissed the viral post. In a statement shared with CheckDesk, Acting Executive Director Linda Aipinge said:
“The Government of the Republic of Namibia categorically denies and strongly refutes issuing such a directive or statement published by the Afrocania Facebook page.”
Similarly, The Namibian newspaper, through its editor, Esther Mbathera, confirmed to CheckDesk that the claim is fabricated.
To further verify this claim, CheckDesk searched the official Namibian government website and social media accounts, particularly on Facebook and Twitter, for any relevant announcements, however no such announcement was made.
This claim bears hallmarks of a coordinated disinformation tactic: attributing inflammatory remarks to senior leaders to provoke outrage and sow confusion. By attaching a fabricated quote to President Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia’s first female Head of State, the viral post exploits her prominence to maximize reach and credibility.
The post, which had already generated over 10,000 reactions and shared more than 1,000 times across African Facebook groups, spreads harmful stereotypes and fuels anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.
Such disinformation risks inciting stigma, discrimination, and even violence against LGBTQ+ Namibians. It undermines Namibia’s international reputation at a time when the country has made historic legal strides in protecting sexual minorities. Moreover, it erodes trust in both government institutions and independent media at a critical political moment, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, being the country’s first female President.
This fact-check was produced by Nicole Tau, CheckDesk, MISA Lesotho, as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway. AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with MISA Lesotho. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
