Election of Zack Mbhele & lessons for Africa

The election of Zack Mbhele as Africa’s first openly gay Member of Parliament is Great news for many in Africa. It is a welcome relief that validates the dreams of many gay and lesbian youths in Continent. Some people will say, there are many gay members of parliament already – possibly in every country in Africa, so Zack’s election is hardly new. But they are largely elected on assumption of heterosexuality; for Zack however there is no that assumption –he is elected purely because of his skills, diligence and commitment to his Party’s ideals. 

This election says a lot about Zack the person, and about South Africa in general. First that Zack is a person of integrity – that he did not feel the need to create a heterosexual assumption, says a lot about his integrity, courage and belief in the democratic systems and of course his belief in internal democracy within his own party the Democratic Alliance.

Secondly it says a lot about South Africa. Zack’s election may be headline material for the rest of the continent but for South Africa, it is his fellow Democratic  Alliance  MP Yusuf Cassim, who makes headlines for being the youngest MP at the age of 24.

This has important lessons for the rest of Africa. The first lesson is rather obvious, the obsession with homosexuality is anachronistic – it’s been passed by time. The religious leaders have an obvious interest in this topic, as they do many other issues, but this is not an issue of law or policy. The second lesson is that Africa cannot hope to drive forward using the rear-view mirror. Moreover, Africa cannot be a player in the international field using village rules. The time spent discussing how gay and lesbian persons are (mis)treated in Africa, is time taken away from discussing issues related the continent’s growth and development. As such, there comes a time to let go some obsessions – this is the time for this particular one!

For Kenya, however, what happens in South Africa should interest us.  South Africa is a Key competitor in important service industries – such as financial markets and tourism. Creating a reputation of a country that jails certain categories of people on the basis of their private moral issues is not the best way to position a country as investment or tour destination. A cursory look at how  international tour websites advise prospective tourists one finds the following advice on Kenya: 

If you are gay or lesbian and wish to travel to Africa it is wise to do a little research before you plan your trip. Homosexuality is illegal in almost every African country (bar South Africa) and is considered a criminal offense in several top tourist destinations like Egypt, Morocco and Kenya.  

Unlike Egypt and Morocco, that offer a unique product only to be found in these destinations, the Kenya’s big 5 or even the 8^th wonder – the great migration, are not restricted to Kenya. As any marketer will advise, product differentiation and staying ahead of competition are necessary imperatives for any business. 

This is not to say, that removing criminalization, or promoting visibility of gay and lesbian persons in Kenya is the panacea for the ailing industry. Such can however become important ingredients for product differentiation. Moreover, given how deeply competing destinations such as Tanzania have invested on this issue, removing criminalization against gay people or promoting their visibility in Kenya are marketing tools that cannot be immediately copied by our competition. At the very least such initiatives would remove a particular competitive edge enjoyed by South Africa.

Additionally such would also have beneficial impact on public health outcomes, as we have adequately demonstrated elsewhere in this blog.