Police keen to
interview Ncube over sodomy claims
 23
April 2006- 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
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