Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has joined President Robert Mugabe in dismissing calls to enshrine gay rights in the new constitution

Homosexual acts are currently illegal in Zimbabwe. Mugabe once said gays were worse than pigs and dogs, sparking international condemnation. Recently, gay rights has become a controversial issue in several African countries. In Uganda, an MP has introduced a draft bill which makes homosexual acts punishable by life in prison and death in some circumstances. In Malawi, a gay couple has spent three months in jail after holding a party to celebrate their engagement and in Kenya, police intervened after rumors that a couple were planning a gay wedding.