The former Radio 3 DJ who left Zimbabwe under a cloud of smoke late in 2002 also reveals:

• He was hurt by years of having to deny his sexuality

• He has told his family and friends about his sexuality

• He is having the best time of his life in England

And in an amazingly frank interview, Ncube who was known by his fans as the 'Prince of the Airwaves', told of his anger and frustration at media stories linking him to an alleged attempt to sodomise a preacher in June 2002.

He said: "What the press did to me was unjust, and their stories were untrue. That was very hurtful and I just could not imagine that human beings could be capable of such inhuman treatment of others."

Ncube was quizzed by cops and released after a preacher claimed the DJ had tried to sodomise him. Ncube's accuser told reporters that earlier that day before meeting the DJ, he had solemnised a wedding at which Ncube was the MC.

The churchman claimed that later that evening, he met Ncube who asked to be accommodated at his hotel room overnight. The pastor said that he had offered Ncube a bed since his room had two single beds.

Later that night, he further claimed, he had felt Ncube tightly gripping him and attempting to perform a sex act on him. The pastor claimed that when he broke free, he ran into the street half naked and made a report to the police who later tracked down and arrested Ncube.

Ncube's employers -- the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation -- swiftly dismissed him, sparking a volley of protests from the Gays and Lesbians Association which said "the haste with which Ncube was relieved of his position before any crime had been proved in a court of law would seem to indicate that he was dismissed because he is gay."

Publicly opening his heart for the first time last night, Ncube says he was both angry and scared at the "fabricated" stories and feared for his life, forcing him to flee to England. He told us: "I am happy to be a place where I can express myself freely without any fear. A human being is what he is by their substance, not race, sexuality or any other sort of classification."

Ncube recently got a top PR job in Leicester, England, and is in a relationship. He told New Zimbabwe.com that over the years, he had quietly informed his family and friends about his sexuality, and most were supportive while others were "coming to terms" with the disclosure.

He said: "I don't wish to talk about it any further and I hope people will respect that. My private life is my private life." Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has openly attacked gays and lesbians, and homosexuality is a crime in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe has labeled gays and lesbians as "worse than dogs and pigs". During his 82nd birthday celebrations in February, he said homosexuality was abhorrent, telling supporters to "leave whites to do that". His former Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo, in a stinging attack on British liberalism, once said "it is only British politicians who see being gay as a way of getting votes."

The Constitutional Court in neighbouring South Africa has instructed parliament to amend the law to allow for same sex marriages, but a similar development in Zimbabwe, and indeed wider Africa, is hard to fathom anytime soon. In a recent online poll of 2 500 New Zimbabwe.com readers, a staggering 81 percent said Zimbabwe should never allow same sex marriages, with only 10 percent coming out in support.
 

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