Sodomised man given cellphone, US$100

By Francis Mupazviriho

It is turning out to be a bleak Easter holiday for Mr Gilbert Manyeme.

His wife is threatening to walk away from their matrimonial home after a series of events that saw her husband being allegedly sodomised by a friend who offered him a cellphone and US$100 in an appeasement deal that went awry.

Mr Manyeme’s friend, Givemore Jonasi, had to battle for life under police guard inside Chitungwiza General Hospital’s intensive care unit after unsuccessfully trying to take his life, by swallowing an anti-malarial drug overdose, in a bid to avoid appearing in court to answer to sodomy charges.

On the other hand, Mr Manyeme’s wife does not know what to make of the ordeal that her husband went through and now fears that her better half might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease.

Jonasi’s attempt on his life came after a series of manoeuvres that are good enough to grant him automatic entry onto the infamous list that features some of Zimbabwe’s cheekiest criminals.

On February 16 this year the 37-year-old man is said to have sodomised his friend and lead singer of sungura outfit Manyeme Express after a night out at one of the bars in Mutiti, Seke. Jonasi is said to have invited Mr Manyeme to his house where he allegedly drugged him using a “whitish” substance which he mixed with an alcoholic drink.

Deep into the night an intoxicated Mr Manyeme is said to have got the shock of his life when he awakened from his drug-induced slumber to find a naked Jonasi sodomising him. Mr Manyeme made a report at Dema Police Station.

However, the investigations suffered a hitch after Mr Manyeme was sweet-talked into withdrawing the case by Jonasi who allegedly offered him a Nokia ASHA 201 cellphone and US$100 as restitution. A few days later Jonasi is said to have hatched a plan to recover his cellphone and money.

He walked into Harare Central Police Station and alleged that there was a man from Marondera masquerading as a Criminal Investigations Department officer who wanted to extort money from him.

Police then picked up Mr Manyeme for questioning and it is during interrogations that the sungura musician let the cat out of the bag. This led to a docket being opened for Jonasi who was expected to appear in court on Tuesday last week.

The accused is said to have taken a handful of malaria pills in a bid to take his life and avoid appearing in court. Acting Mashonaland East Provincial Police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Thando Madhoyo confirmed the case.

Narrating his ordeal in an interview at his Seke home, Mr Manyeme said that Jonasi’s alleged actions had lowered his self-esteem.

“What he did to me is very difficult to accept as I considered him a friend,” he said.

“I did not suspect anything when he invited me to spend the night at his home.

“I also did not suspect anything when he put a whitish substance in the beer we had at his home as he had said it was a drug that was meant to make us drunk quickly.”

Mr Manyeme’s wife, Marilyn Jarimani (20), also spoke out on the matter.

“When he did not come back home that night I thought that he had gone to spend the night with a prostitute so I decided to go back to my parents’ home. However, I sympathised with my husband when he told me what Jonasi had done to him.

“My fear now is that my husband might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease and I don’t know what to do,” she said. The Sunday Mail