MT HAMPDEN – A 25-year-old man, who describes himself as a devout member of a well-known church and a resident of the church compound in Mt Hampden, is now battling a severe and seemingly incurable case of sexually-transmitted infection, contracted after a single encounter with a sex worker.
Tendai Nyamapfeni, originally hailing from Njeramo, Mutare, claims he was led astray by fellow young men within his church community. He alleges that their influence led him to engage in unprotected sexual activity with a woman working as a prostitute in the Mt Hampden area, an act that has now left him with a debilitating sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Nyamapfeni recounts the events that led to his current predicament. “I am struggling with a persistent case of STI that I contracted last year. I had unprotected sex with a woman from Mt Hampden after being persuaded by some young men I worship with at my church. They told me I should be dating girls and then introduced me to a woman older than me, with whom I had unprotected sex, and that’s where my problem started,” he explains.
He details how, on the 28th of May last year, he left his home to charge his mobile phone at the residence of some of these young men. It was there, he says, that he was pressured into exploring sexual experiences, with the argument that it was a necessary step to prove his manhood.
“After charging my phone, these young men took me to a sex worker here in Mt Hampden, with whom I had unprotected sex. Immediately, my genitals started to sting, itch, and feel like they were being pricked from the inside. This problem grew over time, and I went to the pastor, who prayed for me, but it didn’t go away,” Nyamapfeni recounts.
The consequences of that single encounter have been devastating for the young man. He says he later confided in his parents about the infection, and they provided him with funds to seek medical treatment. Despite receiving various medications, including pills and numerous injections, the STI has stubbornly refused to clear.
The symptoms have become increasingly severe and debilitating. “I then started discharging foul-smelling pus from my genitals, and even when passing stool, I experience pain. I used to work, but due to this illness, I quit my job because my back is also in so much pain that sometimes I cannot sleep or sit comfortably. Even walking is difficult for me; I always have a cloth tied around my back and stomach due to the pain,” Nyamapfeni reveals.
The pain is not limited to his genital area and back. Nyamapfeni says his entire body is affected, including his head and neck, which are constantly racked with pain.
Compounding his distress is the fact that his parents, having paid for initial treatments, now believe the infection is resolved.
“Since my parents paid for my treatment, they think the infection is gone, but I have told them that it is not. The problem now is that they no longer have the money to treat me because the hospitals and clinics I go to demand money. Our pastor here has remained silent, which means that others in the church are unaware of this issue,” he laments.
Desperate for relief, Nyamapfeni is now appealing to the public for financial assistance to access the medical care he desperately needs. He suspects that his condition may be complicated by witchcraft, locally known as “runyoka,” stemming from the sexual encounter, which could explain the infection’s resistance to conventional treatments.
“When that happens, my genitals swell and develop blisters and sores that ooze fluid. Sometimes I cannot urinate properly due to the pain. I need help; those who can assist can call me on 0771 455 304,” he pleads.
Nyamapfeni says he attempted to confront the woman who he believes infected him, but she has since disappeared from the area.
In a cautionary message to other young people, Nyamapfeni warns against the dangers of casual sex and the potential for devastating consequences. “My warning to young people, because of the gonorrhoea that I am suffering from, is to stay away from ‘mjolo’ (promiscuity); it doesn’t pay, but you face death, and I also feel that the woman who infected me has finished off men by giving them a sexually transmitted infection, especially young men. Perhaps I am facing my demise, I don’t know,” he concludes, his voice filled with despair.
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