Two Harare men, Tavimbanashe Chawatama (28) and Leonard Nyakudya (25), appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Monday facing charges of having “SIM 2 lula lula”.
The arrest of the two men has sparked debate about the legal and social implications of same-sex relationships in Zimbabwe.
The State alleges that Chawatama and Nyakudya entered into a relationship in August 2023 and lived together. According to National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the two men engaged in consensual same-sex relations and even recorded themselves during these acts using their mobile phones.
The matter came to light on 27 August 2024 when an argument erupted between the two men. Chawatama accused Nyakudya of cheating on him and this led to a heated exchange.
Nyakudya decided to move out of the shared residence, but before he could leave, Chawatama noticed that his money was missing.
In an attempt to resolve the issue of the missing money, the two men decided to involve the police.
During their account of the missing money and their living arrangements, they inadvertently revealed details about their same-sex relationship, leading to their arrest on sodomy charges.
The accused persons were granted bail of USD50 each and the matter was remanded to 6 September 2024.
