Why the fuss now?

was reported, police are yet to make a single arrest.
Sine then, several other reports have been made and speculation abounds as to what the motive behind the sexual abuse is.
Zimbabwean law does not codify the sexual abuse of a man by a woman as rape.
A woman can presently only be charged with rape if she helps a man rape another female.
In all 11 cases documented by the media, all that there is to go by is the word of the men who have been subjected to the abuse.
There have been no eye-witnesses or corroborating reports.
Virtually all the victims have been lone men on isolated stretches of road.
This makes the task of any policeman or woman assigned to investigate extremely unenviable.
The general belief is that these men are victims of some ritual that could be linked to advice dispensed by n’angas who tell them to collect sperm from a stranger as part of a get-rich-quick rite.
Well-known traditional healer Mr Friday Chisanyu is on record saying semen has been used for eons in powerful money-making charms.
On the other hand, traditionalist and sociologist Professor Gordon Chavhunduka – a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe – is also on record stating he does not know of any potion requiring human semen as an ingredient.
Feminists have waded into the fray and questioned why society should devote so much attention to the sexual assault of “just” 11 men.
The Harare Magistrates’ Courts handle scores of rapes of women weekly and it is believed that many more go unreported for various reasons.
Regardless, the question remains: why are the men being sexually abused?
There are clear patterns in the cases.
l Theft from the victims does not seem to be the main objective appears to be an after thought.
l The presence of accomplices, some of them male, indicates sexual gratification is also not the objective.
l The use of guns – and in one bizarre case a python – to threaten victims, as well as an as yet unidentified drug that reportedly stimulates the man and then leaves him unconscious, indicates a certain level of organisation.
l The deliberate targeting of lone men on deserted stretches of road indicates precision and possible use of other people as stakeouts.
l There is deliberate attempt to preserve semen and used condoms are all taken by the perpetrators.
Reported Cases
November 2009
18-year-old kidnapped in Chitungwiza.
Abused by one woman at a named church in Harare’s city centre.
Vehicle used: Cream Toyota Corolla.
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15-year-old kidnapped in Warren Park, Harare by three armed men.
Abused by one woman.
Vehicle used: unnamed sedan
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Man given lift by three women in Kwekwe.
Abused by all three near Bulawayo.
Vehicle used: White minibus
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September 2010
24-year-old man kidnapped by three women at gunpoint in Chinhoyi
Abused by two of them after being drugged
Vehicle used: White Mistubishi Chariot
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44-year-old man given lift by two armed women in Karoi.
Abused by both of them.
Vehicle used: silver Toyota Ipsum.
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25-year-old man offered lift by four armed women in Masvingo.
Abused by all four after being drugged.
Vehicle used: red car.
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August 2010
Mwenezi man given a lift by three armed women near Masvingo.
Abused by two of them.
Vehicle used: silver Toyota Corolla.

March 2010
34-year-old man offered lift by three armed women in Westgate, Harare.
Abused by one of them.
Vehicle used: unnamed family car.
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November 2010
48-year-old man offered lift by three armed women in Harare.
Abused near Gwebi Agricultural College.
Vehicle used: unnamed.
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February 2011
Man given lift by three armed women in Beatrice.
Abused by at least one of them after being drugged.
Vehicle used: black BMW X5.
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Man given lift by three armed women in Norton.
Abused by all three near Lake Chivero.
Vehicle used: silver Toyota Pajero with South African number plates.
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March 2011
24-year-old offered lift by woman with a snake in Karoi.
Abused in Chikangwe high density suburb.
Vehicle used: unnamed

Conclusion: Men need to remember the lesson that most mothers teach their children – do not talk to strangers and definitely do not get into their cars.