ZVIKOMBORERO Maria Makedenge, a 33-year-old teacher who was arrested after an explicit video with a 16-year-old student went viral, has finally spoken to the police about what she says really happened.
Image - X
In her official statement, Maria said the boy, whose real name is Tinashe Chigumbu and is nicknamed "Bulldozer" because of his big build, came to a house in Glen View on August 2, 2025, for extra algebra lessons.
She told the detectives that from the moment Tinashe arrived, his behavior was odd. "He refused to look at my notes, refused to sit properly, and kept messing things up," she said.
Maria explained that she left briefly to change into more comfortable clothes and left snacks for him to help him settle.
When she came back, the furniture had been moved and the boy was still restless and not cooperating. She said she was shocked because this was the same Tinashe who had panicked and run away in class over a mosquito bite—something that the whole school had laughed about.
As the situation became more tense, Maria said she called for help but no one answered. 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 present a very different version of the events.
They claim that Maria followed Tinashe into a bedroom, locked the door, forced him into unprotected sexual activity, including a doggy-style position, threatened him to stay quiet, and promised to take him to America if he didn't speak out.
Days later, Tinashe told his sister, who then told their mother.
When the mother checked his phone, she found messages and the video that eventually leaked online.
Maria now faces trial for having sexual relations with a minor. Under Zimbabwe's current law, the age of consent is 18, so if convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
She is currently out on $100 bail, but her US visa has been put on hold, and her teaching job abroad is in serious trouble.
Maria continues to say that the boy made aggressive advances toward her and that the public has misunderstood the whole situation.
However, with video evidence and the boy's own statement supporting the prosecution's version, many Zimbabweans are still firmly on the side of the teenager.
The case has sparked a heated national debate about consent, abuse of power, and the protection of minors.
The trial is continuing at the Harare Magistrates Court.