Arrested for rubber penis, Uganda tourist acquitted and deported
Czech colleague also deported after falsehoods trial acquittal
By Staff Reporter
A Ugandan tourist who was arrested at a Masvingo lodge with a rubber penis in his bag has been deported following his Saturday acquittal after enduring a nightmarish 23 days in custody.
Tom Ssekamwa was arrested together with Lukas Slavik, a Czech citizen and travel vlogger who was detained for recording a video in Masvingo while narrating that there is a power crisis in Zimbabwe.
Both were charged for alleged public nuisance.
Masvingo magistrate Isaac Chikura on Friday ruled that possession of an artificial penis could not compromise the public or cause any nuisance to the public as Ssekamwa did not have any intention of using the penis in public.
Slavik, on his part, was initially charged of publishing falsehoods but the redundant law was later changed to that of public nuisance.
Prosecutors said Slavik had stated in the video: “People were fighting at the police station and police is chasing them away. We have had 12 hours without electricity. At Backpackers Lodge where I stay, there is no water. The accommodation charge is US$25-30 per day and it is not worth it. Apparently, the president is supposed to come today.”
However, the court ruled in favour of Slavik, who had said in his defence that he recorded the video to capture his great moments as a tourist.
He said Slavik did not make false statements as alleged by the state.
The magistrate further said there was no evidence from police witnesses that Slavik was a public nuisance.
Their acquittal ends over three weeks of hell in Zimbabwean prisons for the two tourists.
Slavik left Zimbabwe on Saturday, a day after his acquittal.
The process was not as smooth for Ssekamwa who did not have means to book his flight ticket after his phone was still in police possession.
Their lawyer, Advocate Knowledge Mabvuure of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights on Tuesday said Ssekamwa was now in the custody of the department of immigration awaiting removal from Zimbabwe.
“The challenge we have at the moment is that he needs to buy his own air ticket to leave the country, and his phone through which he can access his funds is still being held by the police. We are engaging the police to expedite the process,” he said.
Slavik travels around the world with Ssekamwa and regularly records videos which he posts on his YouTube channel, Dudy Travelling.
They arrived in Zimbabwe on July 27 and were arrested on August 2, less than a week into their holiday.
