By Judith Nyuke
A Harare magistrate has acquitted two men who were accused of raping socialite Ashley Masendeke, who is popularly known as Mai Jeremaya.
In her ruling, Magistrate Letwin Rwodzi said the State has failed to prove its case. She said the complainant, Mai Jeremaya, was inconsistent in her testimony.
The magistrate said Mai Jeremaya’s report did not meet the requirements for admissibility as a rape report.
She stated that Mai Jeremaya initially informed her friend Cynthia about the alleged sexual assault but did so without expressing a complaint. Furthermore, it should be considered that she only formally reported the incident after being confronted by her husband.
Magistrate Rwodzi further stated that the subsequent events following the alleged sexual assault warranted consideration, given that Mai Jeremaya did not report the incident immediately to the police, but rather sought assistance from one Tafadzwa Chidawa, allegedly for financial gain.
She said Mai Jeremaya was a consenting participant in the sexual act. She added that the accused, Thabo Dube and Martin Charlie, offered a consistent and believable defense, and she found them not guilty and acquitted them of the charges.
