The court heard that on 29 October, at approximately 5am, Shereni sexually abused his 36-year-old cellmate while the victim was asleep and naked in their shared cell, Cell E, at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
Shereni admitted to the act, stating that he took advantage of the complainant’s deep sleep. The victim awoke to find Shereni strongly abusing him, prompting him to scream for help. Other inmates responded to his cries, intervening and subsequently reporting the incident to prison authorities.
The matter was then reported to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, who in turn filed a report with ZRP Highlands. During the victim impact assessment, the complainant testified that the incident had a significant impact on him, both physically and emotionally. Despite this, he stated that he has forgiven Shereni.
Prosecutor Zvikomborero Mupasa presented the complainant’s testimony to the court, highlighting the traumatic effects of the assault. He urged the court to impose a custodial sentence of at least eight years on Shereni.
Shereni appeared before Harare regional magistrate Sandra Mupindu. He was remanded until the present day for a pre-sentence hearing and subsequent sentencing.
Sodomy is reportedly rampant in Zimbabwean prisons despite the same sex activities being illegal in Zimbabwe. This case is not an isolated incident. Just a few months ago, two inmates at Khami Maximum Prison in Bulawayo, Godwin Dlomo and Gilbert Shonai, faced charges for engaging in consensual anal sex, an act prohibited under Zimbabwean law.
The case came to light when Shonai, serving a sentence for rape, reported experiencing anal pain and revealed the consensual sexual act with Dlomo to prison guards. The details of Dlomo’s sentence were not disclosed in court.
Prosecutor Audrey Kufandikamwe outlined the state’s case, stating, “The matter came to light when the second accused experienced anal pain and subsequently disclosed that he had engaged in consensual anal sex with the first accused person.”
The alleged incident occurred on August 11th when the three accused and the 20-year-old complainant were in their cells. Mazorodze allegedly directed the complainant to move to Cell C2, where Ngwerume and Chinobhururuka were among other inmates.
According to the State’s case, the complainant woke up in the middle of the night to find Ngwerume touching him inappropriately. When the complainant refused to comply with Ngwerume’s demands, he was allegedly assaulted by Ngwerume, Chinobhururuka, and Mazorodze.
Chinobhururuka then produced a bottle and forced the complainant to drink its contents, causing him to feel dizzy. The three accused then allegedly took turns to sexually assault the complainant.
