Residents want gay man to leave them alone

RESIDENTS of Sizinda in Bulawayo are up in arms with a gay man who is reportedly going around the suburb cross-dressed as a woman and further courting unsuspecting men with the promise of large sums of money for a ''one-night-stand''.

So disgusted are residents in the suburb that they have decided to approach the local councillor, Reuben Matengu, to call for the man's immediate expulsion from the suburb.

According to residents, the gay man, Khulekani Mhlanga, has been openly parading his feelings,  dressing and acting like a woman and further going around the suburb's entertainment spots courting patrons.

When Sunday News visited the suburb on Thursday last week, residents had no kind words for the man who is now widely referred to as Isitabane semaflatini.

Even young children openly jeer Ndlovu.

"We used to read it in the papers or see it on television but right now we have it in our midst. It is disgusting and inhumane. What is more sickening is that this man seems not to be embarrassed of such an act.

"At times his friends come over and they go to some of the bars in the suburb or in Tshabalala where they buy alcohol for anyone who will be trying to court. It is my fear that some young men could fall into their trap because most of the time they move around with large sums of money. We cannot have this in our area, this 'woman' should leave our suburb as soon as possible," said a resident who identified herself as Ms Khumalo.

Another resident, who claimed to have been asked out by Mhlanga, said it began as a friendly gesture but later he openly expressed his ''love'' for him and asked that they ''spend the night'' together.

"Khulekani initially offered to fix my phone and then went on to start buying my friends and I alcohol at the local tavern. He then started to make open advances declaring his love for me. One message I remember that he sent, asked whether I was top, bottom or versatile. I don't even know what it means. When I rejected him he demanded all his money back claiming it had been a loan.

"When I refused, he threatened that he would get me arrested. Again I told him to go ahead because I knew I had not committed any crime. When he discovered that this was going nowhere, he then sent me a  message saying that the only way I could get rid of the debt was to pay him in kind," said the resident who declined to be named claiming that he feared for his life because at one point Mhlanga and ''his crew'' had ganged up on him, attempting to beat him up.

When Sunday News contacted Mhlanga, he refused to talk to this reporter saying people just hated him and were spreading falsehoods.

He, however, refused to comment on numerous pictures that were openly available in the suburb of him wearing dresses and spotting make-up.

"I have no comment on that, please stop asking me such questions, maybe people hate me or something, just please stop calling me," he said before hanging up his mobile phone.

Efforts to call him later were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable.

The social media has also been awash with people calling for Mhlanga's immediate ejection from the suburb, with a Facebook page; Sizinda update. Kwenzakalani, having already been formed.

"Umfana lo every time I see HER kuthi ngihlanze  . .  . Yizo izinto zokutshisa ekasi lezi," (This boy every time I see "her" I almost vomit . . . These are things that deserve to be burnt in our suburb.), reads one comment from Wellington Samadalinja.

Contacted for comment, the ward's councillor, Clr Matengu professed ignorance on the matter but said his office would soon investigate the matter.