Social media star Ashley Masendeke told a Harare court she was gang raped at a lodge on April 30. The actress known as Mai Jeremaya waived her right to privacy and spoke publicly about the attack. She accused Thabo Blessing Dube and Martin Charlie of tricking her and forcing sex against her will. Both men deny the charges and claim she wanted money for consensual sex. The case opened before regional magistrate Letwin Rwodzi on Friday with emotional testimony.
Masendeke cried as she described how Charlie removed his clothes and forced her to undress. She begged him to use protection before the alleged attack happened. The victim said fear made her comply with the demands of both attackers. Charlie threatened to hunt her down using classified information he claimed to access. She suffered anxiety and physical problems after the incident destroyed her eight-year relationship.
The defense painted a different story about the April encounter. Both men said Masendeke contacted Charlie first through text messages asking to meet. They claimed she separated from her husband and desperately needed cash. The accused said she offered sex for twenty dollars and actively participated in the encounter. Charlie and Dube accused her of demanding five hundred dollars afterward and hiring a private investigator to extort them.
Masendeke cried as she described how Charlie removed his clothes and forced her to undress. She begged him to use protection before the alleged attack happened. The victim said fear made her comply with the demands of both attackers. Charlie threatened to hunt her down using classified information he claimed to access. She suffered anxiety and physical problems after the incident destroyed her eight-year relationship.
The defense painted a different story about the April encounter. Both men said Masendeke contacted Charlie first through text messages asking to meet. They claimed she separated from her husband and desperately needed cash. The accused said she offered sex for twenty dollars and actively participated in the encounter. Charlie and Dube accused her of demanding five hundred dollars afterward and hiring a private investigator to extort them.
