Wendelinus Hamutenya was Mr Gay Namibia 2011, one of two black Africans in the competition. Two weeks after winning the competition, he was beaten up near his house for the prize money.
In 2012, he took part in Mr Gay World; this was the first competition featuring any black Africans. He was stripped of his titles in 2012 for "unbecoming conduct". While it was not specified, it is believed that the charges refer to a 2012 domestic violence case against Hamutenya in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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. In 2021, Hamutenya's boyfriend was arrested for the attempted murder of Hamutenya. Hamutenya said his boyfriend stabbed him after he bought an older version of a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone that his boyfriend did not want.
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". 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."
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