Crimes and Courts Correspondent
HARARE – Musa Nyasha Dube Manyika, a 41-year-old senior manager at Old Mutual, has been charged with the alleged rape of a 23-year-old female student intern.
Manyika, who serves as the Business Development Manager and oversees the company’s scholarship program, appeared before Harare Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa on Tuesday, where he was granted free bail.
The case is set to return to court on January 15, 2025, for trial date allocation.
According to court documents, the alleged incidents took place in November 2022 and June 2023. Prosecutors claim that Manyika lured the complainant to Old Mutual Gardens under the pretense of needing assistance with packing banners. Once in his office, he allegedly locked the door and raped her after she completed the task.
In a separate incident, Manyika is accused of contacting the complainant in June this year, arranging to meet her at Ashbrittle Shops. The State alleges that he coerced her into his car, where further non-consensual acts occurred.
Following the complaint, the matter was reported to the police, leading to Manyika’s arrest. As of now, Old Mutual has not released any comments regarding the allegations.
In a relates story renowned Zimbabwean academic Maud Chifamba, who gained recognition as Africa’s youngest university student in 2012, has publicly condemned the alleged abuse of power by scholarship program officials in light of the recent rape allegations against Old Mutual manager Musa Nyasha Dube Manyika.
Chifamba, who secured a scholarship at the University of Zimbabwe at the age of 14, expressed her outrage in a passionate Facebook post, emphasizing the vulnerability of students reliant on scholarships.
“An issue like this infuriates me; many girls out there go through this,” she stated.
“As a girl who received a scholarship when I was quite young, I know so many people who were victims, and the perpetrators are often known.”
In her commentary, Chifamba highlighted the challenges victims face in coming forward, including fears of losing scholarships and societal judgment.
“The comments under posts like these are the reasons no one speaks out; on top of the threats of the withdrawal of the scholarship and the drama surrounding it!” she articulated.
Chifamba illustrated a hypothetical scenario to emphasize the power imbalance inherent in such situations.
“Imagine you are the first in your family to attend university, reliant on a scholarship,” she noted.
“If someone from the scholarship committee coerces you, would you report it? Was there really consent?”
She condemned the alleged actions as “DESPICABLE and very SHAMEFUL,” while calling for a societal shift in how victims are viewed.
“Why are you not giving the girl the benefit of the doubt?” she questioned.
“This isn’t just about Old Mutual Limited; I’ve heard horror stories about other scholarships where girls are abused by those meant to help them.”
Chifamba expressed gratitude for the guardians who protected her during her academic journey, saying,
“Professor Nyagura and CG Pasi made sure everyone knew I was their child; and no one tried anything like this foolishness.”
In conclusion, she urged society to hold abusers accountable and ensure that individuals with “this kind of disgusting behavior” are kept away from positions of power over vulnerable individuals.
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