Ignatius Chombo, local government minister in Zimbabwe administration (Photo courtesy of NewZimbabwe.com)

A new round of verbal attacks on LBGT people has been triggered by a dispute over whether language in a proposed new constitution for Zimbabwe might protect LGBT people from discrimination.

On May 11, local government minister Ignatius Chombo urged traditional chiefs to expel homosexuals from their communities and seize their land.

Despite evidence to the contrary (See this blog’s post on traditional African homosexuality.), Chombo maintains that homosexuality is a “foreign value.”

“The chiefs are there to protect and promote our cultural values and those who support same-sex marriages must be banished from the communities and be dispossessed of their land,” Chombo said, as reported by New Zimbabwe. “What kind of madness is this that, when we have beautiful women in our country, some people want to marry other men?”

New Zimbabwe reported further:

Chombo, a senior figure in President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party, was speaking to hundreds of villagers and traditional leaders attending the installation of Vusumuzi Nicodmus Mabhikwa as a chief.

Among the traditional leaders in attendance was Chief Gampu Sithole of Tsholotsho who said endorsing homosexuality would be going against “values that define us”.

“As chiefs, we are very clear on homosexuals. We denounce them. I agree with Minister Chombo that those who support homosexuality should be expelled from our communities and their land forfeited.”

Mugabe opponent Morgan Tsvangirai disagrees, saying:

“It’s a very controversial subject in my part of the world. My attitude is that I hope the constitution will come out with freedom of sexual orientation, as long as it does not interfere with anybody. To me, it’s a human right.”

Matabeleland North governor Sithokozile Mathuthu said, “Homosexuality is an abomination before God and Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of it. It is a disgusting practice and Zimbabweans should oppose it.”

Chombo’s comment came the same day when Zimbabwe Sen. Morgan Femai proposed that women should make themselves less attractive in order to fight the spread of HIV. He said women should bath infrequently, shave off their hair, dress shabbily and get circumcised as part of an anti-AIDS compaign, New Zimbabwe reported.

Related articles

• Zimbabwe: Banish pro-gay people from their communities (turcanin.wordpress.com)
• Anti-gay Zimbabwe politicians blast ‘Satanic’ Obama (76crimes.com)
• No LGBT rights in proposed Zimbabwe constitution (76crimes.com)
• EU Injects $8 Million to Revive Ailing Zimbabwe Agriculture (voanews.com)