The Marriage Amendment Bill B-2023 has successfully passed through the National Assembly and is now on its way to the President for consideration and approval.

This development follows an amendment proposal presented by the National Council, which aims to redefine the core principles of marriage within the bill.

The sponsor of the bill, Swapo Party MP Jerry Ekandjo, has accepted the National Council's proposed amendment.

The next and final step in the legislative process is for the bill to be forwarded to the President for review and approval.

The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) endorsed SWAPO MP Jerry Ekandjo's proposed Private Member's Bill passed in the National Assembly to define the term 'spouse' and amend the Marriage Act of 1961.

This follows the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, which the union says has the potential to disrupt harmony in society.

Swapo Party veteran parliamentarian Jerry Ekandjo has rejected the recent Supreme Court ruling on the issue of same-sex marriage, stating that it is unconstitutional in Namibia.

Motivating his motion rejecting this ruling in the National Assembly, Ekandjo argued that the Constitution, as drafted by its founding fathers at the Constituent Assembly, explicitly states that marriage should be between a consenting man and a woman.

The Swapo Party's Special Central Committee held on Friday decided not to allow Jerry Ekandjo to join the race for the party's Vice President.

President Hage Geingob opened the meeting at the Parliament Gardens and called on the members to, among others, discuss the exclusion of Jerry Ekandjo from the Vice Presidential race.

President Geingob categorically stated in his opening remarks that there is no disunity in Swapo and that the party is busy with a unique democratic exercise of electing its top office bearers.

State House has dismissed claims that Jerry Ekandjo is discriminated against and that his attempts to contest the Vice President position are sabotaged by President Hage Geingob.

According to a media statement issued by the Presidency, it was the democratic processes in Swapo that denied Ekandjo the opportunity to ascend to the party's top leadership positions on multiple occasions.

The statement says, contrary to claims that President Geingob is working actively towards excluding Ekandjo, the truth is that the Head of State has come to his rescue.

Lawyers representing Jerry Ekandjo welcomed a decision to hold a Central Committee meeting to decide whether or not the veteran politician should be allowed to contest the Vice Presidential position at its elective congress next month.

This comes after Swapo Secretary-General Sophia Shaningwa called for a Special Central Committee this coming Friday.

Richard Metcalfe of Metcalfe Beukes Attorneys told nbc News that Ekandjo, as a disciplined politician, just wants the party to follow the Constitution and, as such, welcomes efforts to resolve the issue amicably.