Online Reporter
A 20-year-old woman, who claims she was sexually abused by a man who promised her a job on a cruise ship, says she has received a number of threats since reporting the case to the police.
The woman claims that the suspect, Tariro Takawira, came to her parents’ home in Kuwadzana Extension and threatened her with unspecified consequences if she did not withdraw the case.
She also alleges that Takawira boasted that he was related to a senior police officer and said he would not end up in police cells.
“I am now living in fear as Takawira continues to threaten me for taking my case to the police,” she said.
She claims Takawira referred someone, identified only as Banda, who claimed to be his lawyer, and ordered her to withdraw the case or face consequences.
She said she spent more than two hours filing her case and giving a statement at Harare Central Police Station.
She was later referred to Kuwadzana Police Station, where she again spent hours trying to file her case and record her statement.
Harare provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, confirmed that police were investigating the allegations.
“Police are investigating a case involving a Kuwadzana Extension man for cyber bullying and sexual abuse.
“The suspect is yet to be arrested,” said Insp Chakanza.
The cyber bullying allegations stem from the woman’s claims that Takawira allegedly secretly recording her, while she was naked, and distributed it to her boyfriend’s younger brother.
She said Takawira claimed to be based in a foreign country and was well connected in the cruise ships industry.
She claims he convinced her he would get her a job.
However, the process was very slow.
“He (Takawira) asked me to look for US$800 but my parents failed to raise the amount,” she said.
The woman claims a member of Takawira’s syndicate, only identified as Faith, then told her that the job documents would only be processed if she “did the right thing.”
She says that meant having sex with Takawira.
“She pleaded with me that bedding Takawira was the only way I would get documents for the job,” the woman said.
She says she tried to resist because her boyfriend wanted to marry her.
But, she claims, Takawira then lured her to a lodge where he had unprotected sex with her and recorded the act secretly.
She claims Takawira told her that he was prepared to even take her in as his second wife.
“He said he would sell two residential stands, which his wife does not know about,” she claims.
The video, she claims, was then sent to her boyfriend in a bid to destroy her relationship.
“I only discovered the secret recording after he sent the video to my boyfriend’s younger brother, intending to wreck my affair,” she said.
She claims Takawira allegedly threatened her lover’s younger brother and ordered him to tell his brother to end his affair with her.
Takawira confirmed charging US$800 from his victim saying he had since processed some of the documents for her.
He said she still owed him US$100.
He denied dating her and said he only knew her as the daughter of a churchmate.
“I helped two people to acquire jobs overseas but they all betrayed me and I failed to recover my money.
“As for this woman, I just processed her CV for US$65 and other expenses and she failed to pay back.
“I never dated her as alleged since her mother is my churchmate, I treat her like my daughter.
“I used to give her airtime to juice up her mobile phone and I was recording every cent only to realise that she was spending most of her airtime with her boyfriend.
“It affected me and I now need every dollar I assisted her with.”
She told police that Takawira lured her to a lodge, where she alleges he sexually abused her and warned her that the case would “die a natural death” because of his alleged connection to a senior police officer.
Mathew Masinge