Zvikomborero Maria Makedenge, the 33-year-old teacher arrested after an explicit video with a 16-year-old student went viral, has finally told police what she claims really happened.
In her official statement, Maria said the boy whose real name is Tinashe Chigumbu and is nicknamed “Bulldozer” because of his large build, arrived at a Glen View house on 2 August 2025 for extra algebra lessons.
She told detectives that from the moment Tinashe walked in, his behaviour was strange. “He refused to look at my notes, refused to sit properly, and kept disturbing everything,” she said.
Maria explained that she stepped out briefly to change into more comfortable clothes and left snacks for him to help him settle. When she returned, the furniture had been moved and the boy was still restless and uncooperative.
She said she was shocked because this was the same Tinashe who, just weeks earlier, had panicked and run away in class over a mosquito bite — an incident the whole school laughed about.
As the situation grew tense, Maria said she shouted for help but no one in the house responded. It was at that point she made the now-famous statement to police: “What this boy did to me, no man has done to me like that in many years.”
Court documents and the prosecution tell a very different story. They allege that Maria followed Tinashe into a bedroom, locked the door, forced him into unprotected sexual intercourse (including doggy-style position), threatened him to stay silent, and promised to take him to America if he kept quiet.
Days later, Tinashe confided in his sister, who told their mother. When the mother checked his phone, she found messages and the video that later leaked on social media platforms.
Maria now faces trial for sexual relations with a minor. Under Zimbabwe’s current law, the age of consent is 18, so conviction could mean up to 10 years in prison.
She is currently out on US$100 bail, but her United States visa has been put on hold and her teaching job abroad is in serious jeopardy.
Maria continues to insist that the boy made aggressive advances toward her and that the public has misunderstood the entire incident.
However, with video evidence and the boy’s own statement supporting the prosecution’s version, many Zimbabweans remain firmly on the side of the teenager.
The case has sparked heated national debate about consent, abuse of power, and the protection of minors. Trial continues at the Harare Magistrates Court.