Zimbabwe: Two Men Face Jail on Sodomy Charges After Approaching Police

Two men in Zimbabwe have been arrested on sodomy charges after seeking police assistance to resolve a domestic dispute.

According to the country’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Tavimbanashe Chawatama, 28, and Leonard Nyakudya, 25, had been in a relationship for about a year.

In late August, the alleged couple had an argument over infidelity, prompting Nyakudya to move out of their shared home. However, another dispute arose over missing money, leading the men to approach the police for help.

“The accused persons inadvertently provided the police with details of the crime of sodomy as they explained the issue of the missing money and their living arrangements, which resulted in their subsequent arrest,” said the NPA in a statement.

The State also alleges that the men recorded themselves engaging in sexual activity on their mobile phones, which may be used as evidence in the case.

The men appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court and were released on USD50 bail pending the outcome of the case.

Same-sex relationships are illegal in Zimbabwe, and if found guilty of sodomy, the men face up to a year in prison and a fine.

HQ Collective ZW, a Zimbabwean rights organisation, criticised the authorities for failing to address the men’s original dispute and instead arresting them opportunistically due to their relationship.

“The issue that was reported and the issue that they are being prosecuted for is a direct reflection of how the LGBTQ community in Zimbabwe is stripped of its human rights,” the group told the Washington Blade.

“It’s unjust and unfair. We have had cases of sexual assault, corrective rape, pedophilia, and gender based violence within the community, but the community can never take these issues to the police because at the bottom of it, awaits the prosecution of LGBT individuals despite the circumstances at hand.”

LGBTIQ+ people in Zimbabwe have limited protection from discrimination, and the country’s 2013 Constitution explicitly bans same-sex marriage.

In June, GALZ, one of Zimbabwe’s longest-running LGBTIQ+ groups, endured harassment and vandalism by a group of religious homophobes who marched to the organisation’s Harare offices, and painted hateful graffiti on the walls and gate.