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Police keen to interview Ncube over sodomy claims
By
Showbiz Reporter
KELVIN
Ncube last night paid tribute to his "brave and supportive"
mum on the same day Zimbabwean police said they were still keen to interview
him over an alleged attempt to sodomise a preacher in 2003.
The former ZBC radio and TV presenter last week became the first high-profile Zimbabwean celebrity to admit he was gay.
Homosexuality is a crime in Zimbabwe and despite swirling rumours about their sexuality, most Zimbabweans would rather take their secrets to the grave for fear of a backlash from a population firmly ensconced in conservative values.
Ncube told New Zimbabwe.com that he had flown her mum and young brother to join him in Leicester, England, to escape "mockery" on Zimbabwe's streets.
Ncube said: "My mum has been to hell and back. She is now safe and free from the mockery that she had to endure daily. She has left a community that treated her as an outcast for the relative safety of the UK."
On Sunday, Zimbabwean police said they were still keen to interview Ncube over claims that he attempted to sodomise a preacher who had allowed him to spend a night on a separate bed in his hotel room.
Ncube left Zimbabwe in 2003 after his employers, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, terminated his contract following the preacher's accusations. Ncube's supporters said his only crime was that he was gay.
Bulawayo police spokesman Chief Superintendent Alphios Maphosa told the state-run Sunday News that Ncube would face questioning if he came back to Zimbabwe or if they "came across him".
He said: “Although I do not have the docket at hand, we would still be interested in interviewing him over the case as common crimes, except murder, become prescribed after 20 years. In terms of police investigations procedure, dockets can be closed after three, five or seven years depending on how they would have been classified.
“In the event that the accused person resurfaces after some time, the docket can be re-opened for further investigation and possible prosecution. So if he was facing sodomy allegations, that is a Common Law crime and we would definitely be interested in interviewing him if he came back or if we came across him."
Prescription of a crime according to the Police Common Law Manual means that the right of prosecution for a particular crime can no longer be pursued owing to the lapse of time. The only exception to this rule are crimes of murder (and theft under certain circumstances) which never become prescribed.
Ncube maintains his innocence over the allegations which he says are a "fabrication".
Instead, the DJ who recently landed a top PR job in Leicester, is keen to pay tribute to his mum who has backed his decision to go public about his sexuality.
Ncube said: "It's a waste of time responding to fabrications. I would be more happy to talk about my real heroine, my mum. She has been very brave and supportive.
"Because she is widowed, and because she has a son who is gay, it was difficult for her to continue with her normal life. She was being treated like a mole in the community and I am happy she is here now. She has been brave through it all."
Homosexuality is a crime in Zimbabwe. Gays and lesbians are constantly on the receiving end of barbed comments by President Robert Mugabe who once described them as "worse than pigs and dogs".
When Makosi Musambasi had a lesbian kiss on British TV last year, she came under a barrage of criticism from Zimbabweans.
An online poll of
2 500 New Zimbabwe.com readers last year showed that a staggering 81
percent were opposed to same sex marriages. Only 10 percent said they
would support gay unions, with another 9 percent undecided.
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