Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku
IN a stomach-churning case that shocked the nation, a Kwekwe man who chopped off his manhood, slapped it between two slices of bread and ate it has finally been locked away after a court declared him a danger to society.
Ernest Panankosi Burombo (19), a former drug addict with a long history of substance abuse, made headlines last year when news of his bizarre act spread like wildfire across social media.
According to court papers, Burombo’s nightmare began when he started smoking ganja at 17. Over the years, he graduated to harder substances like crystal meth and by last September, his daily fix included two to three twists of dagga washed down with meth hits.
High as a kite, Burombo claimed he began hearing voices — one of which he swore belonged to his late grandmother. The voice, he said, gave him strange instructions: to sleep with his employer’s 10-year-old daughter and then cut off his manhood and eat it to become rich.
In a shocking turn, Burombo acted on the delusion. After raping the child, he turned on himself the very next day, severing his own manhood and creating what can only be described as the most twisted sandwich in Kwekwe history.
After consuming his own flesh, Burombo staggered around declaring that the young girl was now his “wife,” leaving those who witnessed his state of madness horrified and speechless.
Police were called in when the minor later confessed to her grandmother about what had happened. Burombo was arrested and taken to hospital, where doctors were forced to graft a tube to his groin to allow him to urinate for the rest of his life.
During his trial, his lawyer Tinashe Dzipe revealed that Burombo was in the grip of substance-induced psychosis. Two State doctors confirmed this, stating that he was unfit to stand trial.
The court eventually found him not guilty by reason of insanity but ruled that he was far too dangerous to walk free.
Magistrates ordered that he be confined to Mlondolozi Prison, a facility reserved for offenders with severe mental health issues.
While the rape case explained why Burombo was in court, it was his grisly self-mutilation that captured the public’s imagination.
