Ugandan tourist found with sex toy in Zimbabwe to be deported; spent 24 days in jail

By The Dispatch 

HARARE: A Ugandan tourist, Tom Ssekamwa, who spent 24 days in a Zimbabwean jail after being arrested for possessing a sex toy, has been acquitted and is now awaiting deportation.

Ssekamwa, 24, was arrested on August 2 outside a lodge in Masvingo, a city located 292 km south of Harare, along with Czech tourist Lucas Slavik. Their arrest occurred during a government crackdown on dissent ahead of a regional summit, which led to the detention of over 200 opposition and civil society activists accused of planning to disrupt the event.

This week, magistrate Isaac Chikura acquitted Mr. Ssekamwa of criminal nuisance charges and cleared him of violating the Censorship Act. The charges stemmed from police finding a rubber male organ in his bag during a search.

In his ruling, the magistrate stated that Ssekamwa’s possession of the sex toy did not pose a threat to public order or constitute a nuisance. He also noted that the item was found in the tourist’s bag with no intention of public display.

Ssekamwa’s lawyer, Knowledge Mabvuure from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), confirmed that his client is currently in the custody of the immigration department, awaiting deportation.

“The challenge we have at the moment is that he needs to buy his own air ticket to leave the country, and his phone through which he can access his funds is still being held by the police,” Mabvuure said.

“We are engaging the police to expedite the process.”

Government crackdown

As part of the ongoing government crackdown, Ssekamwa’s colleague, Lucas Slavik, faced charges of publishing false statements intended to incite public unrest.

According to prosecutors, Slavik recorded a video in which he claimed that there was no water or electricity in Masvingo. A separate charge of criminal nuisance against Slavik was dropped, leading to his acquittal and subsequent deportation last week.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing widespread power outages, with many towns enduring more than 18 hours without electricity. The situation has been exacerbated by a severe drought that has significantly reduced water levels at Kariba Dam, the nation’s primary source of hydropower.

Roseline Hanzi, representing the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), which offered free legal assistance to the detained tourists, expressed concern that the arrests could harm Zimbabwe’s international reputation.

“A rather unfortunate incident that can have far reaching implications on the ranking of Zimbabwe as a safe tourism destination,” Ms. Hanzi said.

“While the Czech Republic can explore international law rules, as they have an obligation to protect their nationals under international law, this could have been avoided.

“States have sometimes taken each other to the International Court of Justice when they feel that the rights of their citizens have been violated.”

In the lead-up to the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Harare, more than 200 opposition supporters and civil society activists were detained by authorities, with some of the alleged crimes dating back to 2019.

The government claimed to have received intelligence indicating that these activists were planning to stage protests aimed at disrupting the summit.