Wendelinus Hamutenya was Mr Gay Namibia 2011,[1] one of two black Africans in the competition.[2] Two weeks after winning the competition, he was beaten up near his house for the prize money.[3]
In 2012, he took part in Mr Gay World; this was the first competition featuring any black Africans.[4] He was stripped of his titles in 2012 for "unbecoming conduct".[1] While it was not specified, it is believed that the charges refer to a 2012 domestic violence case against Hamutenya in Johannesburg, South Africa.[5]
In 2015, Hamutenya was mugged and beaten; LGBTQ groups in Namibia say the attack may have been politically motivated due to his LGBTQ rights activism.[6] In 2021, Hamutenya's boyfriend was arrested for the attempted murder of Hamutenya.[7] Hamutenya said his boyfriend stabbed him after he bought an older version of a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone that his boyfriend did not want.[8]
In 2023, following the Nigerian Supreme Court recognising foreign same-sex marriages in the country, Hamutenya said that "the Supreme Court of Namibia has ruled in favour of gay people".[9] Later that year, traditional leaders of the Herero people criticised Hamutenya over outfits he wore at an anti-homophobia demonstration in Windhoek, saying "What is utterly disturbing is that this 'man', who chose to use our dress inappropriately, does not even appear to be a Herero, making me wonder why he chose our dress and not the one from his tribe", and that "the Herero Traditional Dress ... is linked to a culture that has very deep roots in the Herero nation. It is completely inappropriate and distasteful for a 'man' to wear it as it is reserved for women and it is initially introduced to young women through a specific ritual."[10]