During the days of apartheid, Botswana provided a sanctuary for interracial couples from South Africa. These days, traffic goes in the opposite direction, because here in Botswana jail beckons if you are caught in a same-sex relationship. But South Africa is no haven. Although gay rights are enshrined in the South African constitution, on some streets, corrective rape is still believed to be a cure for lesbians – and some of those who have ‘come out’ have been savagely killed.
The debate that I am watching is on a South African television channel. The question to be answered is: ‘Is homosexuality unAfrican?’ Former President of Botswana Festus Mogae is on. It is recounted how the movement for LGBT rights was gaining momentum during the run-up to an election – although not as high on the agenda as poverty, education, health and security. The president’s concession was to instruct the police to desist from arresting people who were believed to be in a same-sex relationship: ‘I was not willing to lose the elections because of gays.’ He was lauded by some, castigated by others. But what it meant to the LGBT community was that staying out of jail rested on the whims and goodwill of whoever happened to be in power. Five years into the tenure of his successor, Ian Khama, it would seem that the status quo is being maintained. The police have not yet been unleashed on the LGBT community.
