The Maria Makendege case has set Zimbabwe’s internet ablaze over the last few days, and for good reason.A leaked explicit video showing 33-year-old US-based Zimbabwean makeup artist Maria Makendege having sex with a 16-year-old Form 4 boy from Glen View 3, Harare, went viral this week, turning a serious court matter into the country’s biggest trending topic.
Here’s the full story.
On 2 August 2025, Maria flew in from Atlanta to visit her boyfriend who rents in Glen View. While the boyfriend was out, she allegedly slipped into the teenage neighbor’s room (the boy stays alone in the same yard), locked the door, got him aroused, and had intercourse with him. The boy later told the court she forced herself on him and even promised to take him to America if he stayed quiet. He eventually opened up to his older sister, who told their mother, and the mother marched straight to the police. Police arrested Maria at Mbare Police Station and reportedly found several videos of the act on her own phone — she had recorded everything herself. She was charged with rape and sexual assault of a minor, granted $100 bail, and allowed to fly back to the US. Fast-forward to this week. On 2 December 2025, Maria landed back in Harare from Atlanta to appear at the Magistrates Court. Her lawyer argued that she’s innocent because Zimbabwe’s age of consent is 16 for both boys and girls, the sex was fully mutual, and the State is prosecuting based on morals rather than law. The magistrate disagreed, denied bail, and sent her straight to Chikurubi Female Prison until January 2026, citing clear coercion, grooming, exploitation, and serious flight risk. Now the timeline is split down the middle. One side (mostly guys) is crowning the 16-year-old the next “King Nasir” because of how he performed in the video — jokes about “visa unlocked in 8 minutes” and “that’s not rape, that’s career development” are everywhere. The other side is furious that a clear case of an adult woman preying on a teenager is being turned into memes, pointing out that male victims are never taken seriously. The case is being heard as rape through coercion and grooming, not statutory rape, since the boy is legally old enough to consent under Zimbabwean law. But the power imbalance, the secret recording, the age gap, and the US visa promise have the court treating it as straight-up exploitation. Maria remains locked up. The trial resumes in January 2026. Whatever your take, this saga has exposed exactly how differently society reacts when the victim is a teenage boy and the accused is an older woman. We’ll bring you every update as it happens. What’s your honest opinion — coercion or mutual fun? Let’s talk in the comments (keep it civil).
