From: Bjoern Skolander The Windhoek Advertiser Stübel Street Windhoek, NAMIBIA Monday 16 December 1996 GAYS EYE EMBASSY By Erhard Günzel With President Sam Nujoma's stance on gays having made waves throughout Southern Africa and beyond, the Namibian High Commission in South Africa is set to become the first foreign mission to feel the repercussions of the remarks he made at a recent political meeting in Gobabis. Gay activists indicated at the weekend that pressure would be put on Namibia's High Commission in Pretoria in reaction to the statements made by President Nujoma at the second Swapo Women's Congress on December 6. The President bashed gays at the meeting, saying they had no place in society. Gay radio programmes in South Africa have since last week focused their attention on President Nujoma's statements. "In The Pink", an hour-long weekly programme hosted by a community radio station in Cape Town last Thursday evening ran The Windhoek Advertiser's lead of the same day "Nujoma blasts gays" as its main story. One activist said it would be interesting to know what the city of San Francisco's reaction would be. "I am angry that President Nujoma is so careless. He of all people should understand what discrimination is all about. When in 1980 he received an award from the largely gay community of San Francisco, did he dismiss them as "only moffies?" "He is setting a poor example", the activist told this newspaper. The Californian metropolis, well-known for its largely gay municipality, was the first city in the world to present an award to President Nujoma in his capacity of leader of Swapo during its armed struggle. Another source speculated that aid from Scandinavian countries could be cut considerably, following an apparent precedent set by Sweden, after President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe lashed out against homosexuals on several occasions last year. Scandinavian development aid is linked to the human rights record in the recipient country.