By A Correspondent

Martin Charlie, one of two men accused of gang raping social media personality Ashley Masendeke, popularly known as Mai Jeremaya, told a Harare court that the encounter was consensual and transactional—claiming she even complimented his sexual performance, saying he was “better than her husband.”

Testifying on Monday, Charlie alleged that Mai Jeremaya willingly offered sexual services after a meeting in Harare’s CBD on April 30.

He claimed that after meeting with his co-accused, Thabo Blessing Dube, they all went to Joina City, where Dube informed him that Mai Jeremaya was offering paid sex. Charlie said he confirmed this directly with her.

“She said she charged twenty US dollars per hour,” said Charlie. “I asked her where we would go and she suggested a lodge. We went to Paradise Lodge in Eastlea.”

Charlie described what he called a consensual sexual encounter, adding that once they entered the room, Mai Jeremaya requested payment upfront.

“I gave her the money, and she put it away,” he told the court. “She took off her clothes, approached me, and started undressing me. She sucked my nipples, kissed me, and put the condom on me using her mouth.”

Charlie continued, saying the act was mutual and initiated by both parties.

“She got on top of me and asked if I was enjoying it. I told her it was going well,” he testified. “Afterward, she removed the condom and thanked me. She said I had done it better than her husband.”

He also claimed that following the encounter, Mai Jeremaya began demanding more money.

“She asked for five hundred dollars, then dropped to three hundred. I told her I didn’t have that kind of money,” Charlie said. “She agreed, and we both took a bath before I took her back to town and booked her an InDrive.”

When questioned about allegations of intimidation or coercion, Charlie denied any wrongdoing.

“We were playing music and laughing on the way. No one was scared,” he said. “The place was full of people. If she was being raped, she could have screamed and someone would have heard her.”

Charlie told the court that he believes the rape accusation may have stemmed from Mai Jeremaya’s attempt to protect her marriage after her husband found out about the alleged transactional sex.

“Three days later, on May 3, she called asking where I was. She came with a man named Tafadzwa Chidawa, who was angry that I had slept with her for only twenty dollars instead of the five hundred she claimed she was worth,” said Charlie.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Cecilia Mashingaidze challenged Charlie’s testimony, arguing that nothing in his account supported his claim that the encounter warranted additional payment or ‘extras.’