I didn't rape no-one - Nyarirangwe

'I didn't rape no-one' - Nyarirangwe

By Mduduzi Mathuthu
01/10/03
DARK players were this week blamed for the arrest of a Zimbabwean facing charges of deliberately infecting two white women with the deadly HIV, the virus that causes Aids.

The sensational revelations this week came as newzimbabwe.com managed to get an exclusive interview with Shingirayi Nyarirangwe at Mt Eden Remand Prison where he is being held in isolation from other prisoners.

He told us: “The chief complainant is actually a black Zimbabwean lady who laid all those charges you have heard about. The second complainant might have dropped the charges or at least contemplating doing so.”

Friends say Nyarirangwe’s case conceals twisted myths among New Zealanders about immigrants. Some of those who have claimed trying to help Nyarirangwe were described as racists opposed to the arrival of immigrants.

As exclusively revealed on this website, the 24-year-old Nyarirangwe was arrested two weeks ago for wilfully infecting two women with HIV. He faces 25 charges all relating to women with whom he had sex with.

The charges include wounding with reckless disregard, infecting with HIV, criminal nuisance, assault, rape, kidnapping, threatening to kill and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. The Zimbabwean national who has lived in New Zealand since early 2001, was remanded in custody appeared in court on Tuesday for further remand.

His lawyer Roger Chambers said he wanted all charges, including two others to which Nyarirangwe has already pleaded not guilty (assault and intimidation) to be heard at the same time.

Nyarirangwe said the allegations against him were “petty”, describing the whole saga as a “love circle blown out of proportion”.

It emerged that one of the complainants had tried, however unsuccessfully, to see Nyarirangwe last Monday. He said of her visit: “She came to see me Monday. She still loves me but she wasn't allowed in. This is a love circle that was blown out of proportion by a jealousy Zimbabwean lady who works in a massage parlour. This Zimbabwean girl (name supplied) brewed all the allegations against me in a feat of jealousy that I was going out with someone else.”

A friend said this week: “The Zimbabwean lady is the one who reported all the cases of rape, assault, car theft etc after her relationship with Shingi had become sour. Apparently she knew the white lady who was literally living in with Shingi and then managed to convince her to press charges as well.

“For a long time, Shingi had been living together with this Kiwi lady and I'm told they both were aware of their HIV status and were prepared to live together with that reality. The Zimbabwean lady, whose immigration status I am not aware of other than that she was in the UK before coming to NZ, probably hoped to make money out of this story but unfortunately, all she can possibly get is a jail sentence for Shingi and nothing more.

”She is the one who opened the floodgates of complaints from other white ladies. It is most unfortunate to see Zimbabweans getting involved in such issues of malice and spite in a place so far from home.”
editor@newzimbabwe.com