LONDON- The founder of the Girl Child Network Betty Makoni has criticised singer Plaxedes Wenyika for accepting US$1,800 from Dr Munyaradzi Kereke, who is accused of raping his then eleven year old niece in December 2010.
Kereke, a former adviser to central bank governor Gideon Gono, was last week at the up-market Le Seranata Restaurant in Harare where songbird Plaxedes launched her comeback fifth studio album titled “Brighter Day”.
In a first of its kind, Plaxedes’ first copy of the album was auctioned for a cool US$1 800 with Kereke the highest bidder. The money was donated to Chinyaradzo Children’s Home to assist in its water and sanitation project.
The donation however was not enough to appease child rights activist Makoni who told Nehanda Radio.com;
“She must join us in efforts to get Kereke in jail for pending rape case. No good taking money from someone we all know has such a serious case. Associating with an alleged rapist is clear endorsement of what he did. Everyone in Zimbabwe must join in efforts to stop the rape of minors,” Makoni raged.
“Inga une vanawo nhai Plaxedes asikana. How do you feel rapist wemwana wako achiita wine and dine na-artist …eish marika asikana .mari ngairege kutibvisa pakuita basa revana ava.
Translated– “You have kids Plaxedes, how do you feel if a rapist was to wine and dine with an artist? Money should not stop us from working for the welfare of these children”
According to Makoni, Kereke “took a gun and pointed it to an 11 year old girl at 3 am” and this girl’s mother and father were not in the country. Kereke’s wife “is actually an auntie to this girl and it’s a big shame because the child trusted him,” Makoni told London based SW Radio Africa during a 2010 interview.
The exiled campaigner said medical investigations into the case showed the girl had indeed been raped and “lost her whole hymen”. She spent weeks locked in her room while refusing to go to school. Makoni and her organization started a facebook and internet campaign to name and shame Dr Kereke.
Makoni called on people to boycott Kereke’s surgery saying “anybody going to support him financially by paying his surgery to look after any patients, they are also paying him to stay out of jail and they are paying him to continue raping children. If the justice system fails children, it’s up to us as citizens to take it upon ourselves to do something.”
In December 2009 Dr Kereke was one of 75 officials linked to the Mugabe regime who were placed on targeted travel and financial restrictions by the European Union, United States and Australian government. Nehanda Radio.com