Watch the full Maria Makedenge video with a 16-year-old boy trending online.
Newsone Nigeria reports that a 33-year-old Zimbabwean makeup artist and entrepreneur based in the United States, Zvikomborero Maria Makedenge, is currently trending, no thanks to her viral video with a 16-year-old student.
This online news platform understands that Zvikomborero Maria Makedenge is standing in the dock at the Harare Magistrates Court in Zimbabwe, charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy.
The Prosecutors paint a grim picture: “Makedenge allegedly forced herself on the minor in a private encounter, then dangled the carrot of a US visa and financial support to seal his silence.”
“Non-consensual acts,” the state thunders, arguing the boy’s youth voids any claim of mutual desire. Makedenge, however, countered that as her legal team entered a not-guilty plea last week, insisting that the age of consent in Zimbabwe is 16, applicable to all genders.
Watch the full Maria Makedenge video with a 16-year-old boy below…
Maria Makedenge video leaked through a haze of social media videos—grainy clips circulating that showed the pair in seemingly affectionate moments: her laughing, him beaming in a school tie.
“If he looked happy, does that make it okay?” one clip taunts, racking views like wildfire. But courts don’t run on likes. “Social media is not legal proof,” the magistrate warned, echoing warnings from around the world about viral vigilantism.
It is important to note that the age of consent in Zimbabwe is 16, but this is outdated. The legal age of sexual consent in Zimbabwe is currently 18 years old.
This change was implemented through the following process:
- In May 2022, the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe ruled that the previous age of consent of 16 was unconstitutional and should be raised to 18 to align with the constitutional minimum age for marriage and the definition of a child.
- In September 2024, the President of Zimbabwe signed the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Bill into law, officially and permanently raising the age of consent from 16 to 18 years.
This legal change provides greater protection for young people from sexual exploitation and helps to combat child marriages, which are now effectively abolished by the law.
Meanwhile, Newsone reports that Zvikomborero Maria Makedenge‘s lawyer argued in court that “it was between two willing parties,” slamming the prosecution’s case as a moral panic over reversed roles.
The presiding judge, citing flight risk and the gravity of exploiting a minor, denied Makedenge bail and remanded her until January 2026.
