Man displays live snake, used condom to drag ex-lover into multiple sex acts
By Auther Chimbgwa
A 25-year-old Chitungwiza man allegedly brandished a live snake and a used condom he claimed was from a sex encounter of three years ago with his now ex-girlfriend to induce the woman into consenting to multiple sexual acts.
Tatenda Justice Charamba threatened to use his bizarre weapons to curse his ex-lover Linah Chikumbirike (23) if she refused, according to Harare province police spokesperson, Inspector Luckmore Chakanza.
Charamba had broken up with his girlfriend sometime in 2024.
But still longing for his good experiences he enjoyed in bed with Chikumbirike, he hatched a plan to threaten his ex-lover instil fear in her.
Charamba allegedly told the woman he had cursed her from getting married and to reverse the misfortune, she had to go through some rituals which involved her sleeping with him many times.
The offender, according to Chakanza, took the woman to Leisure Centre Dam in Chitungwiza area on 19 March this year at around 2pm for the purported cleansing.
In his bizarre paraphernalia was a bottle containing a condom he had kept for three years, a live snake, a bird feather and a red piece of cloth which had both their names written on it. He allegedly threw the cloth and bottle into the dam.
He claimed he had used the condom before to perform some rituals which were going to affect her marriage with her future husband.
Chikumbirike’s nightmares began when Charamba visited her Zengeza home in Chitungwiza claiming a certain sangoma had told him that they had wrongly performed the cleansing ritual as she was the one who was supposed to throw the bottle into the dam instead.
“Tatenda Justice Charamba informed Linah Chikumbirike that in order to rectify the process, they were supposed to have sexual intercourse together or she was to have sexual intercourse with a lizard which he had in his bag,” said Inspector Chakanza.
“The complainant chose to have the lizard and the accused person gave her the lizard which was in a pine gel container and left,” Chakanza said.
The following day, they had sex that she consented to out of fear.
After the act, Charamba informed his ex-lover that they had to repeat the act two more times.
On 27 March at around 10pm, Charamba allegedly visited Chikumbirike’s home again where he scaled a precast wall and had sex with her once more without protection in the home garage.
He also repeated the act once more with no protection some days later in a bushy area near Chitungwiza Town Council Head Office.
“After the act, the accused person burnt the complainant’s pants and used condom they once used,” said Chakanza.
“On 31 May 2025, the accused person informed the complainant that his sangoma had told him that when they performed the last cleansing process, some people had seen them burning the pants. So, it had not worked.”
Charamba further told the woman they were supposed to have sexual intercourse again on 10 June to 30 June 2025 to correct the mistake, a proposal which she turned down.
From that time, said Chakanza, Charamba started sending messages and audios to his ex-lover threatening to bewitch and cause her death and that of her parents.
The complainant, on 4 June this year, narrated her troubles to her friend who advised her to report the matter to the police at St Mary’s police station.
Charamba now faces counts of rape.
A medical report sourced from Chitungwiza Central Hospital will be used as evidence in the matter, according to the police spokesperson.
